Ophiobolus hydei sp. nov. (Phaeosphaeriaceae, Ascomycota) from Cirsium and Phlomoides in Uzbekistan

We introduce a new fungal species, Ophiobolus hydei, from dead stems of Cirsium alatum (Compositae) and Phlomoides brachystegia (Lamiaceae), based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence. The species was collected from the Mountains of Western Tien Shan and southwestern Hissar in Uzbekistan. Ophiobolus hydei is characterized by globose to subglobose ascomata with short to long papilla, cylindrical to subcylindric-clavate asci, broad pseudoparaphyses, and scolecosporous, yellowish-brown to brown, filiform, multiseptate ascospores that can split into several part-spores at the septa. Multigene phylogenetic analyses using a combined gene analysis of ITS, LSU, SSU, and TEF1-alpha indicated that the new species has a close affinity to Ophiobolus ponticus, but differs from that species in the micromorphological characteristics of the ascomata, asci, and ascospores, as well as biogeographic distribution. A distribution map, morphological descriptions, and illustrations with colour photographs of the novel species are provided.