Fungalpedia – Note 2628, Lanatosphaera
Lanatosphaera Matzer.
Citation when using this data: Meng QF et al. – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Faceoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1.
Classification: Dothideomycetes genera incertae sedis, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Lanatosphaera was established by Matzer (1996) to accommodate two lichenicolous species: L. dimerellae Matzer, found on Dimerella epiphylla (Müll. Arg.) Malme, and L. porinicola Matzer, found on Porina epiphylla Fée, with the latter designated as the type species.
This genus is characterized by globose to ellipsoidal ascomata with outwardly protruding dark brown cells and long brown hyphae on the peridium. Numerous interascal filaments are present, which are septate, simple, or branched. The asci are fissitunicate, clavate to cylindrical, shortly stipitate, 2–8-spored, and have an endoascus that is thickened at the apex. The ascospores are hyaline, ellipsoidal, non-septate, smooth, and lack of a halo (Matzer 1996).
To date, only two species are recognized in this genus. Due to the absence of molecular data, Lanatosphaera has been temporarily placed within Dothideomycetes as genus incertae sedis. (Hyde et al. 2024).
Type species: Lanatosphaera porinicola Matzer.
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Lanatosphaera.
Figure 1 – Lanatosphaera porinicola redrawn from Matzer (1996). a Ascomata. b Ascus. c Ascospores. Scale bars: a = 20 μm, b, c = 10 μm.
References
Matzer M. 1996 – Lichenicolous ascomycetes with fissitunicate asci on foliicolous lichens. Mycological Papers 171, 1–202.
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 June 2026