Fungalpedia – Note 802, Melanospora
Melanospora Corda
Citation when using this data: Huang SK et al. 2021 (in prep.) – Fungalpedia, Ascomycota.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig. 1
Classification: Ceratostomataceae, Melanosporales, Hypocreomycetidae, Sordariomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Saprobic on vegetation or dung or wood or parasitic on other fungi or closely associated with other fungi. Sexual morph: Ascomata perithecial, solitary, superficial to immersed, globose venter, usually with long necks, yellow to reddish brown, membranaceous, translucent or semi-translucent, glabrous, tomentose or hairy, ostiolate. Necks cylindrical to conical or absent, composed of fasciculate, cylindrical, pale yellow, septate hyphae, straight or slightly curved, with a jagged apex, ascospores usually accumulating in translucent necks. Peridium membranaceous, composed of yellow to pale brown cells of textura angularis. Asci 4- or 8-spored, unitunicate, obovoid to broadly clavate, evanescent. Ascospores irregular or bi-seriate, hyaline becoming brown or reddish brown, broadly fusiform, ellipsoidal to citriform, umbonate and truncate at both ends, aseptate, smooth-walled, verrucose or with reticulate ribs on surface, usually laterally collapsing, with a germ pore at each end, mostly with guttules. Asexual morph (associated): Hyphomycetous. Mycelium consisting of hyaline to pale brown, branched, septate, smooth-walled hyphae. Conidiophores hyaline, cylindrical, straight, curved or flexuous, septate, branched or unbranched. Conidia hyaline to brown, globose to ovoid, 0–1-septate (adapted from Rehner & Samuels 1995, Seifert et al. 2011, Schultes et al. 2017, Marin-Felix et al. 2018).
Notes – Melanospora was introduced by Corda (1837) and its asexual morph was considered as Gonatobotrys and Harzia (Vakili 1989, Seifert et al. 2011, Schultes et al. 2017). However, Crous et al. (2020b) suggested that these asexual morphs have never been found on the culture of Melanospora. In this study, Melanospora is sister to Harzia (100%ML/1.00BY), and distinct from Gonatobotrys based on phylogenetic result. Therefore, these hyphomycetes are regarded as associated genera of Melanospora, until the cultural characteristics of Melanospora or molecular information is available to determine their relationships.
Type species: Melanospora zamiae Corda, Icon. fung. (Prague) 1: 24 (1837).
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Melanospora.
Figure 1 – Melanospora zamiae: a, g–h, p–q (UPS-UPS:BOT:F-129707); b, d–e, i–m, r–u (PDD 36919); c, f (UPS-UPS:BOT:F-129706); n–o (drawn from Cannon & Hawksworth 1982). a–b Two types of host. c–d Superficial ascomata on the host. e–g Squashed ascomata with long neck. h Apex of neck with fasciculate hyphae. i Neck with a jagged apex. j Neck composed of cylindrical cells. k Cells at venter of ascoma. l–o Asci. p–u Ascospores (t ascospore laterally collapsing). Scale bars: d–g = 200 µm, c, h = 100 µm, i–j, m = 50 µm, k–l, n–o = 20 µm, p–u = 10 µm.
References
Corda ACJ. 1837 – Icones fungorum hucusque cognitorum. Prague 1, 1–31.
Entry by
Shi-Ke Huang, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China, The Engineering Research Center of Southwest Bio-Pharmaceutical Resources, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou Province, China, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand, School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand, The Mushroom Research Centre, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Published online 14 September 2021