South Florida microfungi : a new species of Stanjehughesia ( hyphomycetes ) from Sabal palm Gregorio

Stanjehughesia floridensis anam. sp. nov. is described and illustrated from rachides and petioles of dead leaves of Sabal sp. in southeastern Florida, USA. The fungus is characterized by conidiophores reduced to monoblastic, brown, cylindrical, ampulliform or lageniform, solitary or clustered conidiogenous cells and obclavate to cylindric-obclavate, smooth, brown, 5-9 euseptate conidia with dark bands at the septa. It is compared with morphologically similar taxa, and a synoptical table of accepted species of Stanjehughesia is provided. Key words—anamorphic fungi, palm fungi, Sporidesmium Introduction During a short-term survey of saprophytic microfungi occurring on plant debris from southeastern Florida, an interesting hyphomycetous anamorph was abundantly collected on Sabal palm dead leaves. The fungus possesses conidiogenesis and conidial features that clearly suggest a placement within the genus Stanjehughesia Subram. (Subramanian 1992, Wu & Zhuang 2005), but morphologically differs from all previously known species. Therefore it is described here as new. The type specimen and other specimen examined are deposited in the Herbarium of the U. S. National Fungus Collections (BPI). Taxonomic description Stanjehughesia floridensis G. Delgado, anam. sp. nov. Figs. 1-6 Mycobank MB511313 Ad fungus anamorphicus, hyphomycetes, pertinens. Coloniae in substrato naturali effusae, nigrae. Mycelium superficiale, ex hyphis ramosis, septatis, pallide brunneae vel brunneae, 1.5-2 μm latis compositum. Conidiophora absentia. Cellulae conidiogenae monoblasticae, determinatae, plerumque intercalares, cylindricae, ampulliformes vel lageniformes, erectae, rectae vel flexuosae, crassitunicatae, laevia, discretae vel gregares,