Fungalpedia – Note 597, Asterocalycella
Asterocalycella Höhn. ex R. Kirschner
Citation when using this data: Zhang et al. 2025 (in prep.) – Fungalpedia, Ascomycota.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig. 1
Classification: Sclerotiniaceae, Helotiales, Leotiomycetidae, Leotiomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Asterocalycella was proposed by Kirschner et al. (2019) to replace the illegitimate generic name Asterocalyx Höhn, which was a synonym of the fossil plant Asterocalyx Ettingsh (http://fossilplants.info). The phylogenetic placement of Asterocalycella was recommended as incertae sedis within Helotiales (Leotiomycetes, Ascomycota) by Kirschner et al. (2019) based on short DNA sequences of the ITS region and limited taxa sampling and this is followed in the Outline of Fungi and fungus-like organisms (Hyde et al. 2024a). The morphology of Asterocalycella is represented by the one species, A. mirabilis, with a sexual morph characterized by unique host-preference on various ferns. It has scattered or gregarious, rounded, white to grayish brown to dark brown apothecia with openings, white to grayish brown to dark brown apothecia, radialized dentate with colloid trichoid hypha on the lateral margin, unitunicate asci with subsessile or short sessile, and fusiform, straight or slightly curved, septate, hyaline ascospores (Wu 2002; Kirschner et al. 2019). Asterocalycella mirabilis has been recorded from dead petioles and rachises of several collections restricted to ferns (Cyatheaceae and Marattiaceae) in Australia, China (Taiwan Province), Java and New Zealand (Spooner 1987; Wu 2002; Kirschner et al. 2019).
Type species: Asterocalycella mirabilis (Höhn.) R. Kirschner.
≡ Asterocalyx mirabilis Höhn.
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Asterocalycella.
Figure 1 – Asterocalycella mirabilis. a Apothecia. b Vertical section of an apothecium. c, d Hairs. e Asci and ascospores. Redrawn from the website. (https://biotanz.landcareresearch.co.nz/)
References
Spooner BM 1987 – Helotiales of Australasia: Geoglossaceae, Orbiliaceae, Sclerotiniaceae, Hyaloscyphaceae. Bibliotheca Mycologica 116:1–711.
Wu M 2002 – A new record of pteridicolous Sclerotiniaceae from Taiwan. Fungal Science 17:49–54.
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