Sphaerellothecium cinerascens Etayo & Diederich

Data Set Maintenance: Data set compiled. Data set author(s): Cáceres M. (03-05-19). Data set not revised; not to be published after submission.

Nomenclature: Current taxonomic status: accepted. Taxonomic rank: species. Sphaerellothecium. Dacampiaceae Körb. (1855); Dothideales.

Taxonomic Literature: Taxonomic notes: The green thallus of the host changes to greyish when colonized by S. cinerascens. Etayo J. & Diederich P., Lichenologist 30(2): 103-120 [114] (1998).

Biogeography: Northern hemispheric. Continent: Europe. Region(s): South-western Europe. Country or state(s): France (excl. Corsica) and Spain (incl. Andorra & Monaco).

Ecology: Biotroph; lichenicolous; endosubstratic (vegetative hyphae not forming superficial net on host thallus). Host or Phorophyte Taxonomy: Cladonia parasitica.

Lichen Photobionts: Primary photobiont absent.

Thallus: Indistinct (vegetative hyphae 2-3 thick, brown, KOH+ orange brown).

Medulla: Iodine reaction in Lugol's solution negative.

Reproduction Strategy: With sexual (and possible asexual) stages. Ascocarps: Perithecioid, subglobose, forming inside the thallus or mycelium of the host, becoming adnate to soon sessile, 40-70 µm wide, 40-70 µm high, with a black or dark brown (when wet) surface. Wall: Not carbonized. Margin: Black, 4-8 µm wide; external filaments absent. Disk: Smooth. Exciple: Hyphae intricately interwoven, with no predominant orientation; not carbonized. Periphyses: Present (simple, less than 10 x 1.5 µm). Hymenium: Iodine reaction: Lugol’s negative, not hemiamyloid. Interascal Hyphae: Absent.

Asci: Clavate, not stipitate, 31-40 µm long, 8.5-11 µm wide; ocular chamber present; broad; dehiscence bitunicate; ascoplasm dextrinoid (ascoplasma I+ yellow to orange).

Ascospores: Not uniseriate, c. 8 per ascus, spores 8 per ascus, ellipsoid or oval, 9-11.5 µm long, 3-4 µm wide, obtuse; septa present; transversally septate, 1-(3)-transversally septate; lumina of equal size; wall thin, laterally constricted where the septum meets the spore wall, middle brown (grey-brown in KOH), not ornamented.

Conidiomata: Absent resp. not observed.

Secondary Metabolites: Not detected.

(report generated 04.Okt.2007)