NEW RECORDS OF SEVEN FUNGAL SPECIES FOR BANGLADESH

From three farming stages of Arthrospira platensis (Nordstedt) Gomont [Spirulina platensis (Gomont) Geitler], seven fungal species, namely, Cladosporium varians Braun, Melnik & K. Schub., Fusarium trichothecioides Wollenw., Geotrichum candidum Link, Mucor circinelloides Tiegh., M. hiemalis Wehmer, Penicillium frequentans Westling and Verticillium albo-atrum Reinke & Berthold were recorded for the first time from Bangladesh. Introduction Fungi are the second largest kingdom, with about 70,000−100,000 known species (Kendrick, 2000). But knowledge on the mycodiversity is still deficient and incomplete, making inventory ponderous due to the inadequate number of researchers in this area (Mueller et al., 2004). A total of 275 fungal species under 125 genera have been reported from Bangladesh (Siddiqui et al., 2007). Spirulina, the most widely exploited food microalga, usually expose under open air during commercial production. Air of the earth contains various fungal propagules. These airborne propagules can be settled on culture, slurry and powder of Spirulina. Eleven fungi species were isolated and identified from culture, slurry and powder of Spirulina at Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Dhaka. Out of 11 species seven were recorded for the first time from Bangladesh. This study presents taxonomic description of these seven fungal species under five different genera. Materials and Methods Fungi were isolated from culture, slurry and powder of Arthrospira platensis (Nordstedt) Gomont [Spirulina platensis (Gomont) Geitler; common name: Spirulina] at Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Dhaka following Agar and/or Dilution Plate techniques during the last week of December 2012. Colony character of pure culture of each isolate was studied. They were examined microscopically after preparation of glass slides with cover slip or sticky tap by using lactophenolcotton blue solution (0.05 gm cotton blue in 100 ml lacto-phenol). Microscopic images of each isolates were captured with the aid of Olympus-DP20 digital camera attached with Olympus CX41 compound microscope at 400x. Isolates were identified up to species level with the help of standard mycological literature (Bensch et al., 2012; Booth, 1971; Crous and Groenewald, 2013; Ellis, 1971; Ellis et al., 2007; Harvey, 1965; Jabnoun et al., 2010; Kurtzman et al., 2011; Raper and Thom, 1949; Schipper, 1973, 1976, 1978; Zare, 2003). Corresponding author. Email: ksh1968@gmail.com Biological Research Division, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh.


Introduction
Fungi are the second largest kingdom, with about 70,000−100,000 known species (Kendrick, 2000).But knowledge on the mycodiversity is still deficient and incomplete, making inventory ponderous due to the inadequate number of researchers in this area (Mueller et al., 2004).A total of 275 fungal species under 125 genera have been reported from Bangladesh (Siddiqui et al., 2007).Spirulina, the most widely exploited food microalga, usually expose under open air during commercial production.Air of the earth contains various fungal propagules.These airborne propagules can be settled on culture, slurry and powder of Spirulina.Eleven fungi species were isolated and identified from culture, slurry and powder of Spirulina at Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Dhaka.Out of 11 species seven were recorded for the first time from Bangladesh.This study presents taxonomic description of these seven fungal species under five different genera.

Materials and Methods
Fungi were isolated from culture, slurry and powder of Arthrospira platensis (Nordstedt) Gomont [Spirulina platensis (Gomont) Geitler; common name: Spirulina] at Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Dhaka following Agar and/or Dilution Plate techniques during the last week of December 2012.
Colony character of pure culture of each isolate was studied.They were examined microscopically after preparation of glass slides with cover slip or sticky tap by using lactophenolcotton blue solution (0.05 gm cotton blue in 100 ml lacto-phenol).Microscopic images of each isolates were captured with the aid of Olympus-DP20 digital camera attached with Olympus CX41 compound microscope at 400x.Isolates were identified up to species level with the help of standard mycological literature (Bensch et al., 2012;Booth, 1971;Crous and Groenewald, 2013;Ellis, 1971;Ellis et al., 2007;Harvey, 1965;Jabnoun et al., 2010;Kurtzman et al., 2011;Raper and Thom, 1949;Schipper, 1973Schipper, , 1976Schipper, , 1978;;Zare, 2003).
Pure cultures of the described species are preserved at the Department of Botany, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Notes: Cladosporium varians belongs to the C. cladosporioides complex, but differs from C. cladosporioides by its long, frequently branched conidiophores.Furthermore, the tips of the conidiogenous cells are often somewhat swollen or unilaterally swollen, and the ramoconidia have up to four septa, and subglobose conidia are not abundant.C. tenuissimumis another comparable species, which is, however, easily distinguishable by its setiform, usually unbranched conidiophores (Bensch et al., 2012).Wollenw., J. Wash. Acad. Sci. 2:147 (1912).