Sphaerellothecium contextum Triebel

Data Set Maintenance: Data set compiled. Data set author(s): Cáceres M. (03-05-20). Data set not revised; not to be published after submission.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: Triebel D., Biblioth. Lichenol. 35: 1-278 [76] (1989).

Biogeography: Northern hemispheric. Continent: Europe and Northern America. Region(s): Northern Europe, Middle Europe, South-eastern Europe, and South-Central U.S.A. Country or state(s): Sweden, Austria, former Czechoslovakia (incl. Czech Republic & Slovacia), Switzerland (incl. Liechtenstein), and Italy (incl. San Marino & The Vatican City, excl. Sicily, Sardinia); Colarado (USA).

Ecology: Biotroph; lichenicolous; endosubstratic (vegetative hyphae forming reticulum inside the thallus of the host). Host or Phorophyte Taxonomy: Protoparmelia badia; Sporastatia testudinea; Tephromela armeniaca.

Lichen Photobionts: Primary photobiont absent.

Thallus: Indistinct (vegetative hyphae brown to dark brown, branched and anastomosed, (5-)6-9(-10) µm thick, verruculose).

Medulla: Iodine reaction in Lugol's solution negative.

Reproduction Strategy: With sexual (and possible asexual) stages. Ascocarps: Perithecioid, globose, forming inside the thallus or mycelium of the host, not emerging, moderately abundant, (40)-50-70-(80) µm wide, (40)-50-70-(80) µm high, with a dark brown surface. Wall: Not carbonized. Margin: Smooth, dark brown, 5-10 µm wide; external filaments absent. Disk: Smooth. Exciple: Paraplectenchymatous; hyphae 4.5-9.5 µm wide, 4.5-9.5 µm long; not carbonized; brown. Periphyses: Absent or present. Hymenium: Iodine reaction: Lugol’s negative, not hemiamyloid. Interascal Hyphae: Absent. Hypothecium: Brown.

Asci: Almost globose (oval to broadly ellipsoid), indistinctly stipitate, 22-28-(33) µm long, 15-19 µm wide; tholus not amyloid; ocular chamber present; broad; dehiscence bitunicate; exoascus not amyloid, not hemiamyloid; ascoplasm dextrinoid (epiplasma in young asci I+ orange).

Ascospores: Not uniseriate, c. 8 per ascus, spores 8 per ascus, ellipsoid, (10)-11.5-14-(16) µm long, (4.5)-5-6.5-(8) µm wide, obtuse; septa present; transversally septate, 1-transversally septate; lumina of equal size; wall thin (sometimes with thin halo), laterally constricted where the septum meets the spore wall, becoming pigmented, dark brown or middle brown, in Lugol's Solution negative, wall not ornamented (sometimes with thin halo).

Conidiomata: Absent resp. not observed.

Secondary Metabolites: Not detected.

(report generated 04.Okt.2007)