Sphaerellothecium coniodes (Nyl.) Cl. Roux & Diederich

Data Set Maintenance: Data set compiled. Data set author(s): Cáceres M. (03-05-22). Data set not revised; not to be published after submission.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: Roux C. & Triebel D., Bull. Soc. Linn. Provence 45: 451-542 [527] (1994).

Biogeography: Northern hemispheric. Continent: Europe. Region(s): Northern Europe and Middle Europe. Country or state(s): Finland and Benelux (Belgium & Luxembourg) (Luxembourg).

Ecology: Biotroph; lichenicolous; endosubstratic or episubstratic (vegetative hyphae also forming a reticulum over the thallus of the host); growing on calciferous rock. Host or Phorophyte Taxonomy: Baeomyces rufus.

Lichen Photobionts: Primary photobiont absent.

Thallus: Indistinct (vegetative hyphae brown to dark brown, torulose, and superficially very rugose, BCr+ dark blue).

Medulla: Iodine reaction in Lugol's solution positive (vegretative hayphae BCr+ dark blue).

Reproduction Strategy: With sexual (and possible asexual) stages. Ascocarps: Perithecioid, globose or subglobose, forming inside the thallus or mycelium of the host, not emerging, becoming adnate, abundant, 40-60 µm wide, 40-60 µm high, with a black surface. Wall: Not carbonized. Margin: Black, 7-10 µm wide; external filaments absent. Disk: Smooth. Exciple: Paraplectenchymatous; hyphae 2.5-8 µm wide, 3-11 µm long; not carbonized; dark brown. Periphyses: Present (6-10 x 1.5-3). Hymenium: Iodine reaction: Lugol’s negative, not hemiamyloid. Interascal Hyphae: Present, scarcely branched, not or scarcely anastomosed; cells 1.5-2 µm wide. Hypothecium: Dark brown.

Asci: Clavate, distinctly stipitate or indistinctly stipitate (shortly stipitate), 26-30 µm long, 10-14 µm wide; tholus not amyloid; ocular chamber absent; dehiscence bitunicate; exoascus not amyloid, not hemiamyloid; ascoplasm not dextrinoid.

Ascospores: Not uniseriate, c. 8 per ascus, spores 8 per ascus, oval or sub clavate, 11-13 µm long, 3.5-5 µm wide, obtuse; septa present; transversally septate, 1-transversally septate; lumina apically enlarged, constricted at the centre; wall thin, laterally constricted where the septum meets the spore wall, becoming pigmented, dark brown, middle brown, or hyaline, in Lugol's Solution negative or in Lugol's Solution positive (perispore BCr- or BCr+ blue), wall not ornamented, distinctly halonate, i.e., with a thick mucilaginous sheath.

Conidiomata: Absent resp. not observed.

Secondary Metabolites: Not detected.

(report generated 04.Okt.2007)