Fungalpedia – Note 2699, Geltingia
Geltingia Alstrup & D. Hawksw.
Citation when using this data: Meng QF et al. – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Faceoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1.
Classification: Helicogoniaceae, Phacidiales, Leotiomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Geltingia was introduced by Alstrup et al. (1990) to accommodate the type species G. associata, along with G. groenlandiae and G. stereocaulorum. However, the latter two species were subsequently transferred to other genera, leaving the type species as the sole member of Geltingia (Alstrup et al. 1990, Diederich et al. 2000a). Geltingia is characterized by black ascomata, which are either solitary or loosely aggregated. These ascomata are initially immersed and perithecioid, becoming erumpent and often superficial and apothecioid at maturity. The exciple is persistent, brown, and consists of elongated to subglobose, parallel rows of pseudoparenchymatous cells. The asci are elongate-clavate to narrowly cylindrical, stalked, with a single functional wall layer that is not or only slightly thickened at the apex. Asci discharge by rupture at the ascus tip and contain eight spores, which are arranged monostichously, distichously, or somewhat helicoidally. The ascospores are subglobose to ellipsoid or cylindrical to almost fusiform, simple, guttulate, hyaline, and smooth (Alstrup et al. 1990).
Initially, Geltingia was thought to belong to Odontotremataceae (Ostropales) due to its ascomata by Alstrup et al. (1990). However, the presence of thin-walled asci without apical thickening suggested a possible placement within Helotiales. Rambold et al. (1990) subsequently transferred Geltingia to Helotiales based on ascomata characteristics, a view later confirmed by Diederich et al. (2010b). Phylogenetic analysis by Suija et al. (2015b) showed that Geltingia clusters with Eleutheromyces outside the Helotiales clade. In the same year, Baral (2015) established Helicogoniaceae and included Geltingia, a placement that was accepted by Wijayawardene et al. (2018) and Hyde et al. (2024).
Type species: Geltingia associata (Th. Fr.) Alstrup & D. Hawksw. (Alstrup et al. 1990)
= Lecidea associata Th. Fr., on Thamnolia vermicularis, Ochrolechia sp. and Pertusaria spp. (Fries 1867c)
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Geltingia.
Figure 1 – Geltingia associata redrawn from Diederich et al. (2010b), Suija et al. (2015b) and the website: https://fungi.myspecies.info/taxonomy/term/8201/media. a Ascomata on Thamnolia. b Vertical section of ascomata. c Paraphysis. d Asci. e Ascospores. Scale bars: a = 1 mm, b = 50 μm, c, d = 10 μm, e = 5 μm.
References
Alstrup V, Hawksworth DL 1990 – The lichenicolous fungi of Greenland. Meddelelser om Gronland, 31, 1–90.
Baral HO. 2015 – Nomenclatural novelties. Index Fungorum 225, 1–3.
Diederich P, Ertz D., Etayo J. 2010b – An enlarged concept of Llimoniella (lichenicolous Helotiales), with a revised key to the species and notes on related genera. The Lichenologist 42 (3), 253–269.
Diederich P, Etayo J. 2000a – A synopsis of the genera Skyttea, Llimoniella and Rhymbocarpus (lichenicolous Ascomycota, Leotiales). Lichenologist 32 (5), 423–485.
Hyde KD, Noorabadi M, Thiyagaraja V, He M et al. 2024 – The 2024 Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa. mycosphere 15, 5146–6239.
Rambold G, Triebel D. 1990 – Gelatinopsis, Geltingia and Phaeopyxis: three helotialean genera with lichenicolous species. Notes from Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh 46 (3), 375–389.
Suija A, Ertz D, Lawrey JD, Diederich P. 2015b – Multiple origin of the lichenicolous life habit in Helotiales, based on nuclear ribosomal sequences. Fungal Diversity 70 (1), 55–72.
Wijayawardene NN, Hyde KD, Lumbsch HT, Liu JK et al. 2018 – Outline of Ascomycota: 2017. Fungal Diversity 88 (1), 167–263.
Entry by
Meng QF, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100, Thailand and School of Public Health, Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou 563000, China.
Published online 16 July 2026