Fungalpedia – Note 2903, Stellifraga
Stellifraga Alstrup & Olech.
Citation when using this data: Meng QF et al. – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Faceoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1.
Classification: Ascomycota genera incertae sedis, Fungi.
Stellifraga was introduced by Alstrup (1993c) to describe the lichenicolous fungus S. cladoniicola, which occurs on Cladonia gracilis. The genus is characterized by immersed perithecia that rupture cortex of the host, subcylindrical asci with a distinctive tholus pierced by a chambre oculaire, and hamathecial filaments closely adherent to the asci. The apical part of the ascus wall and surrounding gel exhibit a blue reaction in Melzer’s reagent. Ascospores are hyaline and septate (Alstrup 1993c).
Due to the absence of molecular data, Stellifraga is tentatively placed within Ascomycota genera incertae sedis, pending further phylogenetic investigation (Hyde et al. 2024).
Type species: Stellifraga cladoniicola Alstrup & Olech, on Cladonia gracilis. (Alstrup 1993c).
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Stellifraga.
Figure 1 – Stellifraga cladoniicola redrawn from Alstrup (1993c). a Habitus seen from above. b Longitudinal section of host and fungus. c Apex of ascus surrounded by hamathecial, paraphysis-like, filaments. Scale bars: b = 50 μm, c = 10 μm.
References
Alstrup V, Olech M. 1993c – Lichenicolous fungi from Spitzbergen. Polish Polar Research 14, 33–42.
Entry by
Meng QF, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100, Thailand and School of Public Health, Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou 563000, China.
Published online 5 August 2026