Megalospora Meyen (1843)

Data Set Maintenance: Data set standard item. Data set author(s): Rambold G. Data set reviewer(s): Kasalicky T. (98-06-10) and Sipman H. (95-02-20-02-95); revised; to be published after submission; 95-05-17.

Nomenclature: Current taxonomic status: accepted or basionymous. Taxonomic rank: genus. Number of known taxa within this rank: 27. Megalospora. Megalosporaceae Vezda ex Hafellner & Bellem. (1982); Teloschistineae; Lecanorales.

Type Information: Type: Megalospora sulphurata Meyen.

Taxonomic Literature: Galloway D.J., Flora of New Zealand Lichens: i-lxxiii, 1-662 [265-
269], Wellington (1985); Kantvilas G., The Lichenologist 26: 349-366
(1994); Rose F. & James P.W. in: Purvis O.W. et al. (eds), The
Lichen Flora of Great Britain and Ireland, London (1992); Sipman
H.J.M., Biblioth. Lichenol. 18: 1-241 (1983); Sipman H.J.M.,
Willdenowia 15: 557-564 (1986); Tønsberg T., Sommerfeltia 14:
214-215 (1992).

Biogeography: Checklist records: Austria, Bolivia, Germany, Great Britain, Guianas, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden and Norway, Thailand, United States and Canada (continental), and Republic of South Africa.

Ecology: Biotroph; lichenized; terricolous, bryophytic, corticolous, or epiphyllous; substrate non-calciferous.

Lichen Photobionts: Primary photobiont present; chlorococcal. Primary photobiont taxonomy: Dictyochloropsis (A. Beck 22-05-97); genus incertae sedis; Dictyochloropsis-group, Trebouxiophyceae, Eukariota. Secondary photobiont absent.

Thallus: Crustose, not subdivided parts, granular. Upper Surface: Green, yellow, or white; special structures absent or present:; not pseudocyphellate; eciliate; without hairs; not isidate or isidiate; not sorediate or sorediate; not cephalodiate; not lobulate; without granules granules, without thalloconidia thalloconidia. Lower Surface: Attached by the whole lower surface; special structures absent.

Reproduction Strategy: Only known as sterile, asexually reproducing form or with sexual (and possible asexual) stages. Ascocarps: Apothecioid, orbicular, forming all across the thallus surface, soon sessile to substipitate. Margin: Prominent; external filaments absent. Exciple: Brown. Periphyses: Absent. Epithecium: Apical cells green, brown, olive, brownish yellow, or orange. Interascal Hyphae: Present, scarcely branched, not or scarcely anastomosed to distinctly anastomosed. Hypothecium: Brown, white, or brownish yellow.

Asci: Tholus thickened, amyloid, entirely amyloid throughout; dehiscence lecanoralean.

Ascospores: 1–2 to c. 8 per ascus, broadly ellipsoid, ellipsoid, reniform, ovoid, or oblong, 32-165 µm long, 19-43 µm wide, obtuse; septa present; transversally septate or both transversally and longitudinally, 1-25-transversally septate; wall thin or thick, distinctly differentiated into primary and secondary wall, not thickened at the septum, hyaline, in Lugol's Solution negative, wall not ornamented.

Conidiomata: Absent resp. not observed or present; pycnidial; stipitate, formed all accross the thallus surface.

Conidiogeneous Cells: Apical or intercalar. Conidia: Bacilliform.

Secondary Metabolites: Not detected or present, of the following substance class(es): ß-orcinol depsidones, (tri-)terpenoids, and dibenzofurans [and usnic acids].

(report generated 04.Okt.2007)