Plectosphaerellaceous fungi (Ascomycota) on leaf litter of the subtropical giant fern Angiopteris lygodiifolia (Marattiaceae) in Taiwan

Five saprobic species of plectosphaerellaceous fungi were found to be associated with dead petioles of the subtropical giant fern Angiopteris lygodiifolia in secondary forests of northern and central Taiwan. The species occurred on early to late stages of degradation of dead petioles. Fuscohypha angiopteridis was described as a new species based on morphology and comparison of ITS, RPB2 and TEF sequences. Phialophora taiwanensis is provisionally transferred to Phaeochloridium. Musicillium elettariae had previously been identified as Verticillium alboatrum in Taiwan. The other two species, Acrostalagmus luteoalbus, and Stachylidium bicolor, were known from other substrates in Taiwan. Morphological comparison of these fungi on the natural substrate with descriptions from culture complements our fragmentary knowledge. The morphology of Fuscohypha on the natural substrate was first investigated and revealed microsclerotia in the epidermal cells of the plant. Conidiophores penetrated through the epidermal cell wall without the formation of external hyphae. Fuscohypha angiopteridis, M. elettariae, and S. bicolor, forming intracellular resting structures, may particularly contribute to the degradation of sturdy perennial plants.