Meira geulakonigae
Meira geulakonigae Boekhout, Scorzetti, Gerson & Sztejnb. ex Denchev & T. Denchev 2021, in Boekhout et al., International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 53(5), 1655-1664 (2003).
Etymology: Meira geulakonigii (geu.la.kon.ig’i.i. N.L. adj. geulakonigii of Geula Konig, to commemorate the sister of A. G., who died during the course of the present study).
Diagnosis: Colonies on YPGA after 4 days are highly convex, whitish, with the surface venose to cerebriform, radially furrowed near the margin, pruinose and covered with synnemata with entire margins. On morphology agar after 48 h, colonies are about 6 mm in diameter, convex, but becoming strongly furrowed, partly covered with tapered synnemata, but also with smooth sectors, dull, creamy white, with sharp margins. After 3 weeks on YPGA, colonies are about 30 mm in diameter, white, but pale greyish brown near the margin; finely velvety pruinose and, at places, somewhat arachnoid; centre about 15 mm in diameter, flat to somewhat elevated and somewhat warty to ridged, radially furrowed near the margin; margin entire or somewhat eroded and with sectors. On YMA, colonies are whitish pruinose and the centre is covered with synnemata, which become flattened towards the margin. On PDA, colonies are 40 mm in diameter, dull, dark greyish brown, with the center 6 mm in diameter, flat to somewhat warty and with tapered synnemata and radially furrowed toward the marginal zone; the marginal zone is greyish brown, flat and outermost margin eroded; reverse dark brown. Brown pigment exudes on YPGA, YMA, MEA and PDA. Initial growth with ellipsoidal yeast cells, 7–17×2–3 µm, with polar sympodial budding; hyphae approximately 2–3 µm in diameter, usually partly lysed and somewhat constricted near the septa, may disarticulate into arthroconidia-like cells; acropetal chains of ellipsoidal to fusiform conidia, 5–176×2–4 µm in size, originate on sterigma-like structures laterally or terminally on the hyphae (Figure 1b); short chains of conidia are also formed on mites (Figure 2a, b).
Index Fungorum Number: IF558272
Notes: Meira geulakonigii differs from Meira argovae in that it does not assimilate nitrate and nitrite, it assimilates L-lysine, it shows cycloheximide resistance, it is able to grow at 35 and 37 oC and its hyphae are somewhat constricted near the septa. Moreover, the rDNA sequence of Meira geulakonigii differs from that of Meira argovae in 5 nucleotides in the D1/D2 domain (LSU rDNA), 35 nucleotides in the ITS1, 1 nucleotide in the 5.8S rDNA and 10 nucleotides in the ITS2 in addition to three deletions, of 6, 7 and 11 nucleotides.
Figure 1. Microscopic morphology of Meira argovae (a), Meira geulakonigii (b) and Acaromyces ingoldii (c, d), showing fusiform conidia, sterigma-like structures and hyphae. Bars, 10 µm.
Figure 2. Scanning electron micrographs of Meira geulakonigii and Meira argovae. (a) Sporulation of Meira geulakonigii on a mite. (b) Detail of acropetally formed chain of blastoconidia of Meira geulakonigii on a mite. (c) Sporulation of Meira argovae on a mite. (d) Detail of acropetally formed chain of blastoconidia of Meira argovae on a mite. Bars, 10 (a, c), 5 (d) or 1 (b) mm.
Reference:
Boekhout, T., Theelen, B., Houbraken, J., Robert, V., Scorzetti, G., Gafni, A., ... & Sztejnberg, A. (2003). Novel anamorphic mite-associated fungi belonging to the Ustilaginomycetes: Meira geulakonigii gen. nov., sp. nov., Meira argovae sp. nov. and Acaromyces ingoldii gen. nov., sp. nov. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 53(5), 1655-1664.
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