Fungalpedia – Note 695, Protothyrium

 

Protothyrium G. Arnaud 

Citation when using this data: D. S. Marasinghe et al. 2023 – Fungalpedia, Ascomycota.

Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank., Fig 1.

Classification: Parmulariaceae, Asterinales, Dothideomycetidae, Dothideomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi 

Colonies epiphyllous or hypophyllous on leaves. Colonies solitary, scattered, sometimes confluent, variable in shape, circular to irregular, black. Superficial mycelium absent. Sexual morph: Ascomata superficial, opaque blackened, becoming irregular in shape, flattened, covering margins with irregularly radiating hyphae, opening by irregular fissures. Hamathecium lacking or with pseudoparaphyses. Asci numerous, 8-spored, bitunicate, ovate to oblong-clavate, short-pedicellate or sessile, with a firm wall, thickened and rounded at the apex. Ascospores elliptical, oblong or oblong-clavate, verrucose, 1-septum, hyaline to subhyaline or olive-grey, slightly constricted at the septum, upper cell shorter and broader than lower cell, smooth-walled (Inacio and Cannon 2003; Tian et al. 2016). Asexual morph: Undetermined. 

Note: Protothyrium was introduced by Arnaud (1918) with the type species of Protothyrium salvadorae. Species were reported as pathogenic on living leaves (morphology see Inacio and Cannon 2008; Wijayawardene et al. 2018, 2020). Protothyrium is characterized by blackened, superficial, flattened, circular or elliptical, ascomata, becoming irregular in shape and opening by irregular slits (Inacio and Cannon 2008).

Type species: Protothyrium salvadorae (Cooke) G. Arnaud, Annals d’École National d’Agric. de Montpellier, Série 2 16(1–4): 101 (1918). 

≡Phyllachora salvadorae Cooke, Grevillea 13(no. 67): 65 (1885)

Other accepted species:  species Fungorum – search Protothyrium.

image

 

Figure 1 – Protothyrium salva- dorae. a Leaf specimen. b, c Colonies on the host surface. d Appearance of ascomata on lower surface of leaf. e Section through ascomata. Scale bars: Not mentioned. Redrawn from Arnaud (1918)

 

References

Arnaud G 1918 – Les Astérinées. Annales de l’école Nationale d’agriculture de Montpellier 16:1.

Inácio CA, Cannon PF 2003 – Viegasella and Mintera, two new gen- era of Parmulariaceae (Ascomycota), with notes on the species referred to Schneepia. Mycol Res 107:82–92.

Inácio CA, Cannon PF 2008 – The genera of the Parmulariaceae. CBS biodiversity series, vol 8. CBS Fungal Biodiversity Cen- tre, Utrecht.

Tian Q, Hongsanan S, Dai DQ et al 2016 – Towards a natural classifica- tion of Dothideomycetes: clarification of Aldona, Aldonata and Viegasella (Parmulariaceae). Mycosphere 7:511–524.

Wijayawardene NN, Hyde KD, Al-Ani LK et al 2020 – Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa. Mycosphere 11:1060–1456.

Wijayawardene NN, Hyde KD, Lumbsch HT et al 2018 –  Outline of Ascomycota: 2017. Fungal Divers 88:167–263.

 

Entry by 

Diana Sandamali Marasinghe, 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, Mushroom Research Foundation, 128 M.3 Ban Pa Deng T. Pa Pae, A. Mae Taeng, Chiang Mai, 50150, Thailand

 

Published online 15 August 2025

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