A checklist of marine fungi of Taiwan with a description of Kitesporella keelungensis gen. et sp. nov

Abstract

Abstract Taiwan is an island of 35,980 km2 with a long coastline and thus is an ideal place for the study of marine fungi. A literature search and continuous surveys of lignicolous marine fungi over the past few years have documented 107 taxa: 2 Basidiomycota, 94 Ascomycota and 11 asexual fungi (10 hyphomycetes, 1 coelomycete). Most of these taxa were discovered on wood with a few arenicolous species. One new marine lignicolous fungus belonging to the Halosphaeriaceae was encountered during our study. Kitesporella keelungensis gen. et sp. nov. is characterized by hyaline, coriaceous ascomata with short necks, absence of periphyses and catenophyses, persistent/semi-persistent, clavate asci and rhomboid-shaped, thin-walled ascospores without appendages. It resembles Remispora pilleata in the rhomboid shape of the ascospores, but in R. pilleata, periphyses are present, asci are deliquescent and ascospores thick-walled with pleomorphic polar appendages at both ends. We compare the morphology of Kitesporella with those of other taxa in the Halosphaeriaceae without appendaged ascospores.