Fungalpedia – Note 2933, Selinia
Selinia P. Karst., Meddn Soc. Fauna Flora fenn. 1: 57 (1876).
Citation when using this data: Perera RH et al. 2023 – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank.
Classification Bionectriaceae, Hypocreales, Hypocreomycetidae, Sordariomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi.
Saprobic, coprophilous. Sexual morph: Ascomata stromatic, perithecial, subglobose to globose, rarely obpyriform, small, immersed in a stroma, becoming erumpent, ostiolate. Ostiolar canal filled with hyaline, filiform periphysate. Stromata partially or completely immersed in the substratum, diplostromatic, ectostroma composed of reddish-brown, small, strongly melanised cells; endostroma of thin-walled cells forming textura epidermoidea, surface sometimes tomentous. Peridium fleshy, layered. Paraphyses mostly absent, if present filiform, hyaline. Asci unitunicate, 4–8-spored, short-stalked, clavate to cylindric-clavate ephemeral asci, with or without an apical ring, if present J-. Ascospores ellipsoid to fusiform, aseptate, hyaline, thick-walled, often surrounded by a hyaline gelatinous sheath. Asexual morph: Hyphomycetous, sporodochial. Sporodochia sitting on a thin subiculum, irregularly pulvinate, sparse or in groups, pale yellow to orange. Conidiophores arising from basal hyphae, hyaline, branched. Phialides cylindrical to clavate, with a conspicuous collarette. Conidia ovoid to oblong, aseptate, hyaline, in slimy masses. Chlamydospores globose, present or absent (Rossman et al. 1999; Ranalli and Mercuri 1995).
Known distribution: Cosmopolitan (Khan and Krug 1989; von Arx and Müller 1955; Ranalli and Mercuri 1995; Rossman et al. 1999; Watling and Richardson 2010; Yul et al. 2020).
Notes: Winter (1875) introduced Hypocreopsis based on Hypocreopsis pulchra G. Winter. However, this name was not valid as Hypocreopsis P. Karst. (homonym) was already published by Karsten (1873). Karsten (1876) introduced a new genus Selinia to accommodate Hypocreopsis pulchra. However, the familial placement of Selinia has been debated for decades. Selinia was regarded in Hypocreaceae, Hypocreales by Saccardo (1883) and Clements and Shear (1931). Later this genus was placed in new family Seliniaceae, Sphaeriales (von Arx and Müller 1955; Dennis 1978). Udagawa (1980) suggested to maintain Selinia near Hypocreaceae as a representative of the primitive pyrenomycetes. Selinia species are typical of Hypocreales by their soft-textured, vividly coloured perithecia. Rossman et al. (1999) recognised Selinia as a unique genus due to its coprophilous lifestyle and ascospore wall characteristics. Rossman et al. (1999) maintained Selinia in Bionectriaceae and taxonomic placement was supported by molecular analysis of LSU sequences (Rossman et al. 2001). The genus was regarded in Bionectriaceae by subsequent authors (Kirk et al. 2008; Maharachchikumbura et al. 2015, 2016; Hyde et al. 2020). Selinia species are coprophilous growing on animal dung (ie. cow, hare, horse, sheep, opossum, goose) (Khan and Krug 1989; von Arx and Müller 1955; Ranalli and Mercuri 1995; Watling and Richardson 2010; Yul et al. 2020).
Type species: Selinia pulchra (G. Winter) Sacc., in Saccardo, Syll. fung. (Abellini) 2: 457 (1883).
Basionym: Hypocreopsis pulchra G. Winter, Hedwigia 14: 26 (1875)
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Selinia.
References
Clements FE, Shear CL 1931 – The genera of fungi. 496 p., 58 pl. H. W. Wilson Co., New York.
Dennis RWG 1978 – British Ascomycetes, 3rd Edn. – Vaduz: J. Cramer, pp. 485.
Karsten PA 1873 – Mycologia fennica. II. Pyrenomycetes. Bidr Kann Finl Nat Folk 23: 251.
Karsten PA 1876 – Symbolae ad Mycologiam fennicam. III. Meddel. Soc Fauna Flora Fenn 1:55–59.
Khan RS, Krug JC 1989 – A new species of Selinia. Mycologia 81:653–655.
Ranalli ME, Mercuri OA 1995 – The conidial state of Selinia pulchra (Ascomycotina, Hypocreales). Mycotaxon (USA).
Rossman AY, Samuels GJ, Rogerson CT et al. 1999 — Genera of Bionectriaceae, Hypocreaceae and Nectriaceae (Hypocreales, Ascomycetes). Stud Mycol 42:1–248.
Saccardo PA 1883 – Sylloge fungorum omnium hucusque cognitorum 3:1–959.
Udagawa S 1980 – Some new or noteworthy coprophilous Pyrenomycetes from South America. Trans Mycol Soc Japan 21:283–298.
Winter G 1875 – Hypocreopsis, ein neues Pyrenomyceten-Genus. Hedwigia 14:26–27.
Entry by
Perera RH, Guizhou Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology, Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, Guizhou 550006, P. R. 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, Mushroom Research Foundation, 128 M.3 Ban Pa Deng T. Pa Pae, A. Mae Taeng, Chiang Mai 50150, Thailand.
Published online 7 August 2026