Freshwater Ascomycetes - Species Monograph

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Genus	Species	Author
Aquaticola	ellipsoidea	W.H. Ho, K.M. Tsui, Hodgkiss and K.D. Hyde
Class	Order	Family
Sordariomycetes	Inc. sed.	Inc. sed.

Synonymy:

Description

Habit:

On submerged corticated or decorticated woody debris in freshwater habitats.

Ascomata:

Ascomata on submerged wood 150–250 µm long (including neck), 150–200 µm in diameter (venter), partly immersed to superficial, erect or horizontal, clustered and/or scattered, black, coriaceous, ostiolate, with a neck. Neck cylindrical, slightly tapered toward the apex, black in reflected light, dark brown in transmitted light, periphysate.

Peridium:

Peridium thin, of textura angularis in surface view, brown.

Beak:

Neck cylindrical, slightly tapered toward the apex, black in reflected light, dark brown in transmitted light, periphysate. See note below about apical setae.

Hamathecium:

Paraphyses not observed but see note below.

Ascus:

Asci 90–125 µm, 8-spored, unitunicate, cylindrical, pedicellate, deciduous, with back-door dehiscence, apex slightly truncate, with a small, refractive, –J apical ring that stains blue with aqueous nigrosin.

Ascospore:

Ascospores 12–14 x 5–7 µm (mean = 13 x 7 µm, n = 25) (measurement for paleotropical collections: Ho et al. 1999. See Notes below for other collections.), overlapping uniseriate, ellipsoidal, curved on one side, hyaline, unicellular, smooth, thin-walled, guttulate.

Sheath:

Lacking a sheath.

Appendage:

Lacking appendages.

Culture:

Anamorph:

None observed.

Other info

Type & Location:

Other Specimens:

Substratum:

Habitat:

Distribution:

Pertinent Literature:

Comments:

Several features reported for the type specimen were not observed in collections from other localities. Abundant paraphyses and setae on the neck, which were reported for the type specimen, were not observed for collections from the Great Smoky Mountains, Tn, USA.

Additional Pictures

ascus apical ring
back-door ascospore discharge
Ascus apical ring

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