A new stromata-producing Neotyphodium species symbiotic with clonal grass Calamagrostis epigeios (L.) Roth. grown in China.

ABSTRACT

We describe a new stromata-producing Neotyphodium species symbiotic with clonal Calamagrostis epigeios (L.) Roth. Stromata on the grass, 47.5-186 mm long, occurred frequently, but neither perithecium nor mature ascus was observed. Morphology of fungal isolates obtained from symptomatic and asymptomatic tillers were identical to each other and similar to those of epichloë endophytes. In phylogenetic analysis all selected five fungal isolates clustered into a significantly distinct clade based on sequences of beta-tubulin gene (tubB) introns and translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene (tefA) introns with bootstrap values of 99%, supporting erection of a new species. Concerning the production of extremely long stromata on the host plants and absence of sexual spores, we propose the name Neotyphodium stromatolongum Y. Ji, L. Zhan et Z. Wang, sp. nov.