Morphology and phylogeny of Mycopepon

Abstract

Two species similar to Mycopepon were found on bamboo in Guizhou Province, China. These species are introduced as the new species Mycopepon bambusae M. fusoidisporus, based on their morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses of LSU and SSU sequences data in this paper. Descriptions and illustrations for both species are provided. Mycopepon smithii var. mexicanum is raised to specific rank as M. mexicanus stat. nov. Mycopepon bambusae differs from M. smithii and M. mexicanus by its narrower ascospores (45-61.5 × 6.5-8.5 μm). Mycopepon fusoidisporus has the unique features of 1-septate, dark brown, wider, ellipsoid-fusiform ascospores (45.5-57.5 × 11.5-23.5 μm). Based on a combined SSU and LSU sequence data, the phylogenetic results indicate that Mycopepon falls in Astrosphaeriellaceae.