Fungalpedia – Note 2906, Talpapellis
Talpapellis Alstrup & M.S. Cole.
Citation when using this data: Meng QF et al. – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Faceoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1.
Classification: Ascomycota genera incertae sedis, Fungi.
= Ameroconium U. Braun & Zhurb., Lichenologist 45(5) 583 (2013).
Type: Ameroconium cladoniae U. Braun & Zhurb.
Talpapellis was introduced by Alstrup et al. (1998) to describe the type species T. peltigerae, which grows on Peltigera venosa. The genus is characterized as a parasymbiotic, lichenicolous hyphomycete with superficial to semi-immersed mycelium composed of elongated, smooth-walled cells. Its conidiophores are acroauxic, mononematous, rarely branched, and dark gray-brown. The conidiogenous cells are terminal, polytretic, and sympodial, while the conidia are dark brown, ellipsoid, non-septate, and truncate (Alstrup et al. 1998). Heuchert et al. (2014) revised and reassessed Talpapellis, highlighting the prominent annellations associated with the formation of conidiogenous cells and the conidiation. These features are distinctive and represent significant differences when compared to Taeniolella (Heuchert et al. 2014).
Heuchert et al. (2018) transferred Talpapellis beschiana from Taeniolella beschiana based on the morphological analysis. In addition, Ameroconium cladoniae, the type species of Ameroconium, was also treated as a synonym of Talpapellis beschiana. Diederich et al. (2024) introduced four new species and combined one species, Talpapellis pseudocyphellariae. The species, Talpapellis mahensis, was initially described as lichenicolous on an unidentified crustose lichen, then was regarded as a lichenized species with a whitish, sorediate thallus containing psoromic acid and norstictci acid, usually covered by a blackish hyphomycetous asexual stage. There are twelve species recognized within the genus, eleven of which are lichenicolous. However, no molecular data are available, and its phylogenetic placement remains unclear, with Talpapellis tentatively classified within Ascomycota genera incertae sedis (Hyde et al. 2024).
Type species: Talpapellis peltigerae Alstrup & M.S. Cole.
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Talpapellis.
Figure 1 – Talpapellis peltigerae redrawn from Alstrup et al. (1998). a Conidiophores and conidia. b Conidia. Scale bars: a = 10 μm, b = 5 μm.
References
Alstrup V, Cole MS. 1998 – Lichenicolous Fungi of British Columbia. The Bryologist 101 (2), 221–229.
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