Some Species of Harpographium Sacc.

Abstract

Twelve species and one variety of the genus Harpographium have been described in the literature. Two species, H. fasciculatum and H. corynelioides, are described and illustrated. The writer's findings, from a study of a co-type, agree with those of Dearness in that H. magnum is identical with Cornularia persica, and therefore must be excluded from the genus. The examination of a specimen of H. rhizomorpharum as identified by Massee and of its description indicate that this species does not belong to the genus Harpographium. A new species, H. constrictum, from Jamaica is described and illustrated. The genus Harpographium was proposed by Saccardo (1880) with H. fasciculatum Sacc. as type species. The genus is characterized primarily by dark synnemata and fusiform to falcate conidia and is classified in the group Amerosporae, section Phaeostilbeae, Stilbellaceae, Moniliales of the Fungi Imperfecti. Saccardo erected the genus to encompass species of Graphium which have falcate conidia. In addition to Harpographium fasciculatum, Saccardo (1886) proposed four other new combinations: H. rhizomorpharum described in 1856 as a Graphium by Montagne; H. macrocarpum described as a Graphium by Corda in 1839; H. olivaceum described as an Atractium by Schmidt in 1817; and H. cristatum described as an Epilithia in 1855 by Nylander. Three species of Harpographium were named by Cooke and Massee. H. corynelioides and H. quaternarium were listed as new Australian fungi by Cooke and Massee in Cooke (1887) and apparently have never been reported since. The third species, H. graminum, was listed as new for Britain by Cooke and Massee in Massee (1887). The designation appeared in Massee (1887) as Haplographium graminum, but in Massee (1893) the spelling of the generic name was corrected with the description in the 1887 paper cited as the original publication. This species is apparently known only from Britain. Penzig and Saccardo (1901) described H. nematosporum as a new species in Malpighia. The fungus was redescribed -and an illustration was included in Icones fung. javan. (Penzig and Saccardo, 1904). In the latter-publication the species is cited as new, but in the introduction it is stated that the volume contains mostly redescriptions with added illustrations. Therefore, the valid publication date is 1901. P. Magnus (1905) described H. volkartianum as new, and proposed the new combination, H. pallescens, to take the place of Graphium pallescens. 1 This investigation was supported by a research grant (NSF-G-16254) from the National Science Foundation.