Fungalpedia – Note 2874, Gyrophthorus
Gyrophthorus Hafellner & Sancho.
Citation when using this data: Meng QF et al. – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Faceoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1.
Classification: Ascomycota genera incertae sedis, Fungi.
Gyrophthorus was introduced by Hafellner et al. (1990) to accommodate the lichenicolous species G. perforans and G. crustulosae, which grow on the thalli or apothecia of Umbilicaria. These species are distinguished by their immersed perithecia that emerge through the ostioles. The peridium is dark but not carbonaceous, and the hamathecium consists of distinct, persistent, branched, and occasionally anastomosing filaments. Asci are functionally unitunicate, 8-spored, with thick lateral walls and slightly thinner apices. Ascospores are unicellular, hyaline, and elliptical (Hafellner et al. 1990). A third species, G. gracilis, was introduced by Hoffmann et al. (2000), found on Umbilicaria vellea. To date, three species are recognized in this genus, and in the absence of molecular data, its phylogenetic status remains uncertain, with its placement tentatively assigned to Ascomycota genera incertae sedis (Hyde et al. 2024).
Type species: Gyrophthorus perforans Hafellner & Sancho, on Umbilicaria vellea.
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Gyrophthorus.
Figure 1 – Gyrophthorus perforans redrawn from Hafellner et al. (1990). a, b Section of ascoma. c Paraphyses and asci. d Ascospores. Scale bars: a = 100 μm, b = 50 μm, c, d = 10 μm.
References
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 23 July 2026