Fungalpedia – Note 633, Schenckiella
Schenckiella Henn.
Citation when using this data: D. S. Marasinghe et al. 2023 (in prep.) – Fungalpedia, Ascomycota.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig. 1
Classification: Saccardiaceae, Incertae sedis, Incertae sedis, Incertae sedis, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Epiphytic on the surface of leaves forming blackened, web- like areas. Superficial hyphae black, branching at acute angles, appressoria not apparent. Sexual morph: Thyriothecia solitary, scattered or gregarious, circular, dark brown to black, easily detached from the host surface, opening by a star-like fissures. Hamathecium comprising hyaline or brown septate, hypha-like, pseudoparaphyses. Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, clavate, oblong or widely cylindrical, apically rounded, with a knob-like pedicel and ocular chamber, not staining blue in IKI. Ascospores fasciculate, elongate-clavate, initially hyaline becoming reddish-brown to dark brown at maturity, trans-septate, strongly constricted at the septum, apical cell larger and size of cells gradually decreasing to the basal cell. Asexual morph: Undetermined (Honganan et al. 2014a).
Notes: Schenckiella was introduced by Hennings (1893) with the type species of Schenckiella marcgraviae Henn. This genus has unusual unique morphological characters of non-appressoriate surface hyphae, Asterina-like thyriothecia, elongated clavate asci, brown pseudoparaphyses and 4–5-septate brown ascospores (Fig. 1). Allothyrium is morphologically identical to Schenckiella and is considered as a synonym of Schenckiella. Schenckiella also similar to Parasterinopsis based on morphology of ascospores, however, differs from lacking appressoriate hyphae. Herein, we suggest to transfer this genus from Asterinaceae to Asterinales incertae sedis until its placement is confirmed with molecular data, due to its unusual morphology of asci and ascospores.
Type species: Schenckiella marcgraviae Henn., Bot. Jb. 17: 523 (1893).
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Schenckiella.
Figure 1 – Schenckiella marcgraviae. a Septate pseudoparaphyses. f Asci with 8 ascospores, short pedicel and ocular chamber. c Ascospores. Scale bars: a–c = 20 μm. Redrawn from Hongsanan et al. (2014a)
References
Hongsanan S, Li YM, Liu JK et al 2014a – Revision of genera in Asterinales. Fungal Divers 68:1–68.
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