Abstract
Four different spores of a sooty mould, including ascospore, pycnospores and conidium, appear to be associated with the scale Tachardina theae GREEN & MANN on the same leaf of persimmon in Formosa. The results of the studies made on the cultures originated from single spore isolations show that these isolates can be separated into four distinct, species, i. e. the genera Phaeosaccardinula, Triposporium, Microxyphium and Capnodium. Among them the first one which is characterized by a brownish sooty appearance is very prevalent, covering the greater part or the whole of the leaf surface, not infrequently contaminated by the remaining three moulds.
The general character of this brownish sooty mould is as follows:
Colonies epiphyllous, diffuse, brownish black to dark brown, glabrous, rather thin. Perithecia subglobose or depressed globose, glabrous, indistinctly ostiolate, black, 168-266μ in diameter. Asci ellipsoid, obovoid or clavate, thickened apex, 4-8-spored, 57-87×21-37μ. Ascospores long ellipsoid, long obovoid or cylindric, round or obtuse at the ends, transversally 3-9-septate, longitudinally 2-8-septate, hyaline to dilute brown, 23-46×8-14 μ.
As regards the host range it has been confirmed, so far as the present studies are concerned, that the fungus under consideration occurrs on 23 different species of plants belonging to 16 families, the insects associated with the mould being the following six species, including Tachardina theae, Pulvinaria psidii, Pinnaspis aspidistrae, Thoracaphis fici, Phyllaphoides bambusicola and Trichoregma minuta. (Table 3).
The brownish sooty mould may be identical with Limacinula javanica (ZIMM.) HÖHNEL, but HÖHNEL, THEISSEN and SYDOW made the genus Limacinula a synonym of the genus Phaeosaccardinula. Therefore, the present author proposes a new combination, viz. Phaeosaccardinula javanica (ZIMM.) comb. nov., for this fungus. The following four species: Phaeosaccardinula citrivola HARA on Citrus spp., Zukaliopsis Gardeniae SAWADA on Gardenia florida, Phaeosaccardinula samoensis HÖHNEL and Phaeosaccardinula Theae (SYD. & BUTL.) THEISS. & SYD. are considered to be identical with the present fungus.
