Fungalpedia – Note 2536, Mortierella

 

Mortierella. Coem.

Citation when using this data: Boonmee S et al. 2021 – Fungalpedia.

Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1

Classification: Mortierellaceae, Mortierellales, Incertae sedis, Mortierellomycetes, Mortierellomycotina, Mucoromycota, Fungi

Notes: Mortierella (phylum Mortierellomycota) was described by Coemans (1863) based on the type M. polycephala. Mortierella is widespread in the temperate zone, where it is almost cosmopolitan and occurs in a wide range of habitats; Mortierella sp. have been reported from bat dung (Degawa and Gams 2004), anthropods (Hyde et al. 2017), freshwaters (Nguyen et al. 2019), and from the recently deglaciated barren ground in glacier forefields (Kuhnert et al. 2012; Dresch et al. 2019). Numerous pure culture isolates of Mortierella spp. were obtained during a study focusing on the seasonal dynamics of soil fungi in a glacier forefield, among them also Mortierella gamsii. Moreover, an undescribed species was repeatedly isolated. Micromorphological studies elucidated clear distinctive morphological characters. Together with phylogenetic analyses of ITS and LSU sequence data, a novel species Mortierella solitaria is introduced. 

Type species: Mortierella polycephala Coem., Bull. Acad. R. Sci. Belg., Cl. Sci., sér. 2 16: 536 (1863).

Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Mortierella.

 

image

 

Figure 1 – Mortierella solitaria (OAS3, holotype). a, b Sporangiophores formed on aerial or basal hyphae. c Sphaerical sporangial head with intact smooth peridium and small apophysis-like widening of the sporangiophore. d Tip of a sporangiophore with collarette and spores. e Sporangiospores released from the sporangium. f–h Initial stages of gametangiogamy with empty, aborted zygospore. Scale bars: a, b = 20 μm, c–h = 10 μm.

 

References

Coemans E 1863 – Quelques hyphomyce`tes nouveaux. 1. notice: Mor tierella polycephala et Martinella pectinata. Bull Cl SciAcad R Belg 15:536–540.

Degawa Y, Gams W 2004 – A new species of Mortierella, and an associated sporangiiferous mycoparasite in a new genus, Nothadelphia. Stud Mycol 50:567–572.

Dresch P, Falbesoner J, Ennemoser C, Hittorf M, Kuhnert R, Peintner U 2019 – Emerging from the ice-fungal communities are diverse and dynamic in earliest soil developmental stages of a receding glacier. Environ Microbiol 21:1864–1880.

Hyde KD, Norphanphoun C, Abreu VP, Bazzicalupo A, Chethana KWT, Clericuzio M, Dayarathne MC, Dissanayake AJ, Ekanayaka AH, He MQ, Hongsanan S, Huang SK, Jayasiri SC, Jayawardena RS, Karunarathna A, Konta S, Kusˇan I, Lee H, Li J, Lin CG, Liu NG, Lu YZ, Luo ZL, Manawasinghe IS, Mapook A, Perera RH, Phookamsak R, Phukhamsakda C, Siedlecki I, Soares AM, Tennakoon DS, Tian Q, Tibpromma S, Wanasinghe DN, Xiao YP, Yang J, Zeng XY, Abdel-Aziz FA, Li WJ, Senanayake IC, Shang QJ, Daranagama DA, De Silva NI, Thambugala KM, Abdel-Wahab MA, Bahkali AH, Berbee ML, Boonmee S, Bhat DJ, Bulgakov TS, Buyck B, Camporesi E, Castañeda-Ruiz RF, Chomnunti P, Doilom M, Dovana F, Gibertoni TB, Jadan M, Jeewon R, Jones GEB, Kang JC, Karunarathna SC, Lim YW, Liu JK, Liu ZY, Plautz HL Jr, Lumyong S, Maharachchikumbura SSN, Matočec N, Mckenzie EHC, Meśič A, Miller D, Pawłowska J, Pereira OL, Promputtha I, Romero AI, Ryvarden L, Su HY, Suetrong S, Tkalčec Z, Vizzini A, Wen TC, Wisitrassameewong K, Wrzosek M, Xu JC, Zhao Q, Zhao RL, Mortimer PE 2017 – Fungal diversity notes 603–708: taxonomic and phylogenetic notes on genera and species. Fungal Divers 87:1–235.

Nguyen TTT, Park SW, Pangging M, Lee HB 2019 – Molecular and morphological confirmation of three undescribed species of Mor tierella from Korea. Mycobiology 47:31–39.

 

Entry by

Saranyaphat Boonmee, 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

 

Published online 6 June 2026

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