Freshwater Ascomycetes - Species Monograph

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Genus	Species	Author
Ophioceras	fusiforme	Shearer, J.L. Crane and Chen
Class	Order	Family
Sordariomycetes	Inc. sed.	Magnaporthaceae

Genbank ID: 85943

Synonymy:

Description

Habit:

Saprobic on submerged, woody debris.

Ascomata:

Ascomata immersed to erumpent, clustered to somewhat scattered, black, globose to subglobose, venter 360-500 x 330-450 µm, with long beak.

Peridium:

Ascomal wall of textura angularis to prismatica near base in surface view.

Beak:

Beak central, cylindrical, periphysate, black to hyaline at apex, hairy, of textura prismatica, in some areas of epidermoidea, terminal cells divergent and somewhat enlarged, 250-800 x 55-160 µm.

Hamathecium:

Hamathecium of long, septate, hyaline paraphyses.

Ascus:

Asci cylindrical with apex broadly rounded to fusoid, stipe short, up to 2 µm, with thimble shaped ascus apparatus staining blue in aqueous cotton blue, separating from the hymenial layer, 70-112 (x = 95.6, s = 9.7, n = 30) x 6-12 (x = 8.9, s = 1.89, n = 30) µm, with eight ascospores in a single fascicle.

Ascospore:

Ascospores filiform, fusoid, tapering at both ends, straight to falcate, 64-104 (x = 80.6, s = 10.5, n = 30) x 1.5-3 (x = 2.1, s = 0.3, n = 30), 3-5 septate, septation pattern 1:3:2:3:1, hyaline, apices staining blue in aqueous cotton blue; ascospores frequently released by deliquescence of basal half of ascus.

Sheath:

Appendage:

Culture:

Colonies on corn meal agar (CMA) spreading, diffuse, immersed, hyaline to pale cream-colored, growth rate at 0.73 mm/da at 24 C; on yeast, peptone, soluble starch agar as on CMA but becoming dark brown with age.

Anamorph:

None observed.