Fungalpedia – Note 2461, Mamillisphaeria
Mamillisphaeria K.D. Hyde, S.W. Wong & E.B.G. Jones
Citation when using this data: Dong W et al. 2020 – Fungalpedia, Ascomycota.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig. 1
Classification: Melanommataceae, Pleosporales, Pleosporomycetidae, Dothideomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Saprobic on submerged wood. Sexual morph: Ascomata scattered to gregarious, superficial, conical, dark brown to black, carbonaceous, with ostiolate papilla, under a pseudostroma that forms a thin layer on the host surface. Peridium thick, composed of several layers of compressed, hyaline cells, with palisade-like cells at the sides. Pseudoparaphyses dense, trabeculate, long, hyaline, septate, branching and anastomosing above the asci, embedded in a gelatinous matrix. Two types of asci and ascospores: TYPE 1: Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindro-clavate, short pedicellate, apically rounded with an ocular chamber. Ascospores 2–4-seriate, ellipsoidal, hyaline, 1-septate, symmetric, with pad-like, mucilaginous appendage at each end and with some mucilage associated around the spore. TYPE 2: Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindrical, pedicellate, with an ocular chamber and faint apical ring. Ascospores 1–2-seriate, ellipsoidal-fusoid, brown, 1-septate, asymmetric, with a thin mucilaginous sheath (Tian et al. 2015). Asexual morph: Undetermined.
Notes: The monotypic genus Mamillisphaeria is typified by a freshwater species M. dimorphospora which is strikingly characterized by dimorphic ascospores (Hyde et al. 1996b), reminiscent of Aliquandostipite siamensis (Pang et al. 2002). However, they differ in ascomata (globose to subglobose, with stalk in A. siamensis vs. conical, without stalk in M. dimorphospora) and sheath (ascospores without sheath in A. siamensis vs. both types of ascospores with mucilaginous sheaths in M. dimorphospora) (Hyde et al. 1996b; Pang et al. 2002). Aliquandostipite siamensis clustered in Aliquandostipitaceae, while Tian et al. (2015) placed M. dimorphospora in Melanommataceae, but based on morphology. Sequence data of M. dimorphospora is needed to clarify its phylogenetic placement.
Type species: Mamillisphaeria dimorphospora K.D. Hyde, S.W. Wong & E.B.G. Jones
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Mamillisphaeria.
Figure 1 – Mamillisphaeria dimorphospora (BRIP 22967a). (g, j Type 1, h, i, k Type 2) a Specimen and herbarium label. b, c Ascomata on host surface with a small papilla. d Vertical section of ascoma. e Structure of peridium. f Trabeculate pseudoparaphyses. g–i Asci. j, k Ascospores. Scale bars: b = 1 mm, c = 500 μm, d = 100 μm, e = 50 μm, f–i = 20 μm, j, k = 10 μm.
References
Entry by
Wei Dong, Faculty of Agriculture and Food, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand, Innovative Agriculture Research Center, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand, Institute of Plant Health, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Haizhu District, Guangzhou 510225, China
Published online 15 May 2026