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Go to the NZFungi website for more indepth information on Puccinia rara. Puccinia rara

Biostatus

Present in region - Indigenous. Endemic

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Caption: Fig 1 a, Puccinia rara McKenzie, teliospores, urediniospores, and paraphyses. b, P. crinitae McNabb, paraphysis. c, P. polypogonobia, teliospores and urediniospores. Specimens mounted in hydrous lactophenol.
 

Article: McKenzie, E.H.C. (1980). New graminicolous rust fungi, Puccinia rara sp. nov. and P. polypogonobia sp. nov. New Zealand Journal of Botany 18(3): 335-337 (http://www.rsnz.org/publish/abstracts.php).
Description: Aecia not known. Uredinia µmphigenous, mainly on abaxial surface, orange-yellow, pulverulent, with colourless thin-walled cylindrical paraphyses. Urediniospores (16-) 21-27 (-28) x (15-) 18-23 (-25) µm, globose or broadly ellipsoid, wall 1.25-1.75 µm thick, pale yellow, finely and closely echinulate, germ pores 8-10 (-13), scattered. Telia on abaxial surface, cinnamon-brown. Teliospores (45-) 50-65 (-80) x (15-) 17-20 (-22) µm, constricted at septum, wall 1-1.5 µm thick at sides, (5.5-) 7.5-10 (-12) µm at apex, smooth, pale chestnut-brown apically, paler basally, upper cell ellipsoidal or subglobose, lower cell obovoid; pedicles up to 20 x 6-9 µm, persistent, pale brown.
Notes: Puccinia rara resembles P. crinitae McNabb described on Dichelachne crinita by McNabb (1962). The urediniospores of the two rusts are similar in shape, but those of P. crinitae are larger (av. 31 x 27 µm) and usually have more germ pores (10-14). The large capitate paraphyses of P. crinitae (Fig. lb) are very obvious, whereas P. rara has only small cylindrical paraphyses. The teliospores of both rusts are similar in shape and size, although the apical wall of the teliospores of P. crinitae is much narrower (up to 4 µm). Cummins (1971), who examined the type of P. crinitae, gives larger measurements for the teliospores than are given by McNabb (1962). The discrepancy is apparently due to the scarcity of teliospores on the type.
The two rusts show a difference in host range. Records to date show that P. crinitae is restricted to D. crinita (30 collections), and P. rara mainly to D. rara (5 collections) and D. sciurea var. inaeyuiglumis (6 collections), with the one exception (PDD 39790) on D. crinita.