Fungalpedia – Note 670, Tothia
Tothia Bat.
Citation when using this data: D. S. Marasinghe et al. 2023 (in prep.) – Fungalpedia, Ascomycota.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank., Fig. 1
Classification: Microthyriaceae, Microthyriales, Incertae sedis, Dothideomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Epiphytic and saprobic on stems or leaves appearing as black dots. Superficial hyphae absent. Sexual morph: Thyriothecia superficial, small, flattened, circular, dark brown to brown, opening with a minute flat or slightly papillate ostiole. Upper wall comprising of dark brown to brown cells of textura angu- laris. Hamathecium comprising of hyaline, aseptate, cellular or filliform pseudoparaphyses with rounded apex. Asci 8-spored, 2–3-seriate, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindrical or obclavate, short or long pedicellate. Ascospores 1-septum, fusiform, slightly curved, light brown to pale yellow, fusiform or oblong- ellipsoid, slightly constricted at the septum, upper cell slightly wider than the lower, guttulate, smooth-walled. Asexual morph: Undetermined (Wu et al. 2011b; Liu et al. 2015).
Notes: Tothia was introduced by Batista (1960) with the type species Tothia fuscella which was earlier assigned as Microthyrium fuscella. Lumbsch and Huhndorf (2010) placed this genus in Microthyriaceae based on the mor- phology of ostiolate thyriothecia with radially arranged cells, cylindrical-clavate asci and 1-septum, ascospores However, according to recent phylogenetic stud- ies, two strains of T. fuscella and T. spartii clustered in Venturiaceae (Liu et al. 2015). The morphology of Tothia is not well supported and the morphology of this genus is unusual for the Venturiaceae, except for the greenish brown to brown, two-celled ascospores and obclavate asci (Barr et al. 1989). In this study, we follow Hongsanan et al. (2020a) and placed this genus in Microthyriales genera incertae sedis based on morphology until confirmed with additional molecular evidences.
Type species: Tothia fuscella (Sacc.) Bat., in Toth, Annls hist.-nat. Mus. natn. hung. 52: 106 (1960).
Other accepted genus: genus Fungorum – search Tothia.
Figure 1 – Tothia spartii (MFLU 14–0739). a, b Ascomata on the host surface. c Squash mount of ascoma. d Upper wall of ascoma. e Pseudopara- physes. f–i Asci. j–l Ascospores. Scale bars: c = 50 μm, d = 20 μm, e–i = 10 μm, j–l = 5 μm.
References
Barr ME, Ohr HD, Murphy MK 1989 – The genus Serenomyces on palms. Mycologia 81:47–51.
Lumbsch HT, Huhndorf SM 2010 – Outline of Ascomycota 2009. Myconet 14:1–64.
Entry by
Diana Sandamali Marasinghe, 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, Mushroom Research Foundation, 128 M.3 Ban Pa Deng T. Pa Pae, A. Mae Taeng, Chiang Mai, 50150, Thailand
Published online 29 August 2023