Fungalpedia – Note 210, Lecythothecium
Lecythothecium Réblová & Winka
Citation when using this entry: Silva et al. 2024 (in prep) – Fungalpedia, Sordariomycetidae.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig. 1
Classification: Chaetosphaeriaceae, Chaetosphaeriales, Sordariomycetidae, Sordariomycetes, Fungi
Réblová & Winka (2001) introduced the monospecific genus, Lecythothecium based on morpho-molecular evidences. The type species, Lecythothecium durilipi Réblová & Winka is the only accepted species under this genus (Index Fungorum 2023). This genus is classified under Sordariomycetidae, Chaetosphaeriales, Chaetosphaeriaceae, based on morphological data, along with LSU phylogeny (Réblová & Winka 2001). Decaying hard decorticate wood from various deciduous species provides a habitat for this saprobic fungus (Réblová & Winka 2001). The sexual morph is characterized by an immersed, flask-shaped perithecium with an ostiole layered with periphyses. The leathery perithecial wall comprising two layers, the outermost layer was pigmented and thicker than the inner layer. Branched paraphyses are hyaline and septate. Short-stipitate asci are unitunicate, cylindrical, and eight-spored, with a wedge-shaped apical annulus. Fusiform ascospores can be straight and inequilateral, developing seven septa at maturity. The central cells of the ascospores are brown, while the end cells remain hyaline. Each cell is uni-guttulate (Réblová & Winka 2001, Hyde et al. 2020). The asexual morph is hyphomycetous. Solitary, erect conidiophores are unbranched and cylindrical. They can be macronematous or mononematous, broad at the base, and tapering towards the tip. Setae are absent. Conidia are cylindrical to clavate or obclavate, holoblastic, smooth walls. They can be straight or slightly curved. The distal end of the conidia is rounded, while the proximal end is truncated. The dark brown to reddish brown conidia display pseudoseptatation with five–11 pseudosepta (Réblová & Winka 2001, Hyde et al. 2020).
Type species: Lecythothecium duriligni Réblová & Winka
Figure 1 – Lecythothecium duriligni. a Longitudinal section of perithecium with paraphyses and periphyses. b Asci. c Ascospores. d Conidiophore with conidia. Scale bar: a = 100 µm, b–d = 10 µm. Redrawn from Réblová & Winka (2001).
References
Entry by
Veenavee Sulakkana H. Silva, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand.
(Edited by Antonio Roberto Gomes de Farias, Samaneh Chaharmiri-Dokhaharani, & Achala R. Rathnayaka)