ABSTRACT: Muscodor albus, anam. gen. et sp. nov., is described as a deuteromycetous (mycelia sterilia) endophytic species bearing molecular relatedness to the ascomycetous group Xylaria. The fungus is characterized by producing a whitish felt-like mycelium on PDA and other media. Commonly, cultures develop 6-12 erumpent pie-shaped sectors radiating from the center of the culture at the original point of inoculation after 4-6 weeks. The hyphae (1.1-1.7 µm dia) grow via right angle branching and commonly intertwine to make rope-like strands (3.0-5.0 µm dia) and these can intertwine to make more complex structures. Small mycelial proturberances (1-5 mm in height) arising from older cultures may be pre-stromatal structures bearing no spores. The fungus is related to Xylariaceae by virtue of 96-98% homology of its 18S rDNA (2089 bp) to representative members of this group. Firthermore, ITS1, 5.8S, and ITS2 sequences (652 bp) of M. albus showed close relatedness to several Xylaria spp. including X. arbuscula, X. longipes, and X. mali at the 89-92% level. Under many cultural conditions a musty odor is produced by this fungus.

KEYWORDS: Xylaria, mycelia sterilia, 18S rDNA, musty odor

NOMENCLATURAL NOVELTIES:
Muscodor Worapong, Strobel & W.M. Hess, p. 71
Muscodor albus Worapong, Strobel & W.M. Hess, p. 71