Fungalpedia – Note 578, Polycyclina
Polycyclina Theiss. & Syd.
Citation when using this data: Zhang et al. 2025 (in prep.) – Fungalpedia, Ascomycota.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig. 1
Classification: Parmulariaceae, Asterinales, Dothideomycetidae, Dothideomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Polycyclina was established by Theissen and Sydow (1915) as a monotypic genus represented by P. rhytismoides. The genus is characterized by sexual and asexual morphs, with lacking superficial hyphae (Theissen and Sydow 1915; Marasinghe et al. 2023). The sexual morph processes epiphyllous, circular ascomata that are presented as a black circular patch and easily separate from the host surface; with brown to dark collaroid haustoria inside the ascomata; pseudoparaphyses lacking; bitunicate, fissitunicate asci with or without a pedicel; and verrucose, hyaline oblong to ellipsoid, ellipsoid to ovate, aseptate ascospores covered by a thin sheath (Theissen and Sydow 1915; Marasinghe et al. 2022, 2023). The asexual morph is characterized by hyaline, unicellular, rod-shaped conidia (Theissen and Sydow 1915). The single species of Polycyclina rhytismoides is reported as a pathogen infecting living leaves of Lomaria imperalis. Currently, the genus is placed in the family Parmulariaceae, Parmulariales, Dothideomycetes, Ascomycota without molecular data (Theissen and Sydow 1915; Marasinghe et al. 2023; Hyde et al. 2024c). Fresh collections and molecular data are needed to verify its phylogenetic position, and host relationships.
Type species: Polycyclina rhytismoides (Speg.) Theiss. & Syd., Annls mycol. 13(3/4): 212 (1915).
= Hysterostomella puiggarii Speg., Boln Acad. nac. Cienc. Córdoba 23(3-4): 510 (1918).
≡ Polycyclus rhytismoides (Speg.) Höhn., Sber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, Math.-naturw. Kl., Abt. 1 118: 1542 (1909).
≡ Hysterostomella rhytismoides Speg., Boln Acad. nac. Cienc. Córdoba 11(4): 580 (1889).
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Polycyclina.
Figure 1 – Polycyclina rhytismoide. a Colony on the surface of host leaf. b Section through ascomata. c Asci. d Ascospores. Redrawn from Marasinghe et al. (2023).
References
Hyde KD, et al. 2024c – The 2024 outline of fungi and fungus-like taxa. Mycosphere (in press).
Entry by
Jing-Yi Zhang, School of Food and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Guizhou Institute of Technology, Guiyang, 550025, People’s Republic of China, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100, Thailand, School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100, Thailand, Guizhou Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, 550009, People’s Republic of China.
Published online 11 June 2025