Fig. 37. Wawelia sp., stromatic filaments with perithecia growing from a rabbit pellet, ascospores, and conidiophore and conidia.
| 146([141]) | Asci 8-spored. Spores 20-31 × 9.5-15µm. | |||
| Bombardioidea bombardioides | ||||
| - | Asci 4-spored. | [147] | ||
| 147([146]) | Spores 24-34 × 15-19(20)µm. Basal germ pore less distinct than the apical one. | |||
| Bombardioidea serignanensis | ||||
| - | Spores 34-43 × 16-22µm. Distinct germ pore at each end of spore. | |||
| Bombardioidea stercoris | ||||
| [148] ([key 1,1]) | Fruit bodies solitary or in small groups, each a subglobose, fertile, light brown head on a slender sterile stalk. Head soon bursting to expose the yellow ochraceous spore mass. On mixtures of bird droppings, cast pellets and decaying animal material. | [149] | ||
| - | Fruit bodies superficial, lacking a distinct stalk. | [150] | ||
| 149([148]) | Spores 5-8 × 2-3µm. Head 1-2mm diam. | |||
| Onygena corvina ([fig. 38]) | ||||
| - |
| |||
| 150([148]) | Fruit bodies with an external wall of loosely anastomosing and interwoven hyphae, and with ± specialised terminal cells (gymnothecia, [fig. 39]). | [151] | ||
| - | Fruit bodies with a well defined parenchymatic wall (cleistothecia, [fig. 46]). | [161] | ||
| 151([150]) | Gymnothecia with simple thin-walled, ± uniform and poorly developed hyphae constituting the outer hyphal sheath. | [152] | ||
| - | Gymnothecia with thick-walled hyphae modified at their ends into appendages, or if thin-walled then always accompanied by appendages (i.e. curled, toothed or pointed hyphae). | [155] | ||
Fig. 38. Onygena corvina, habit sketch, ascus and ascospore.
| 152([151]) | Gymnothecia red-orange to brick-red. Ascospores orange, subglobose to ellipsoid, with an equatorial furrow, smooth, 4.5-5.5 × 3.5-4.5µm. | |
| Arachniotus ruber ([fig. 40]) | ||
| - | Gymnothecia white or yellow, never orange or brick-red. Ascospores without an equatorial furrow. | [153] |
| 153([152]) | Gymnothecia white. Ascospores hyaline, ellipsoid, smooth, 3-4 × 2-2.5µm. | |
| Arachniotus candidus | ||
| - | Gymnothecia distinctly pigmented, yellow or brown. Ascospores larger than 4µm. | [154] |
| 154([153]) | Gymnothecia yellow brown. Ascospores orange to brownish, slightly lenticular, smooth or slightly roughened, 5-6.5 × 3.3-4.6µm. | |
| Arachniotus confluens | ||
| - | Gymnothecia lemon yellow. Ascospores lemon yellow, lenticular, smooth, 5-6 × 3-4.5µm. | |
| Arachniotus citrinus | ||
Fig. 39. Habit sketch of a gymnothecium and ascus.
Figs 40-45. Spores and peridial hyphae.
Fig. 40. Arachniotus ruber. Fig. 41. Myxotrichum chartarum.
Fig. 42. Gymnoascus californiensis. Fig. 43. Gymnoascus reesii.
Fig. 44. Ctenomyces serratus. Fig. 45. Arthroderma curreyi.
| 155([151]) | Gymnothecia possessing only thick pigmented hyphae. | [156] |
| - | Gymnothecia possessing ± thin, hyaline hyphae with only a few, although often distinctive, appendages (i.e. comb-shaped end cells or dumb-bell shaped asperulate cells accompanying twisted and bent hyphae). | [160] |
| 156([155]) | Gymnothecia brown-black or dark greenish-grey, with external hyphae with spine-like branches and septate, hooked appendages. Ascospores orange brownish, ovate, delicately striate, 4-5.2 × 2.4-3.3µm. | |
| Myxotrichum chartarum ([fig. 41]) | ||
| - | Gymnothecia never black, and, if possessing thick-walled hyphae, then appendages never septate. Ascospores smooth, or if ornamented then asperulate or echinulate. | [157] |
| 157([156]) | Gymnothecia rose to orange-brown or yellowish. Appendages curved or irregularly branched and pointed, never verticillately branched. Ascospores smooth, or at most asperulate. | [158] |
| - | Gymnothecia red-brown with appendages verticillately branched. Ascospores 3-4.5 × 2-2.8µm, yellowish brown, lenticular. | |
| Actinodendron verticillatum | ||
| 158([157]) | Gymnothecia rosy pink when young, becoming browner, with spines and curved, non-septate hairs. Ascospores hyaline, globose to subglobose, asperulate, 3-5 × 2.5-4µm. | |
| Gymnoascus californiensis ([fig. 42]) | ||
| - | Gymnothecia yellow. Ascospores smooth. | [159] |
| 159([158]) | Gymnothecia yellow to yellow-brown, without elongated appendages but with thick-walled branches, few of which are pointed. Ascospores globose-ellipsoid, yellow to brownish, 3-4.5 × 3.5µm. | |
| Gymnoascus reesii ([fig. 43]) | ||
| - | Gymnothecia golden yellow to reddish-brown, with acute-ended appendages. Ascospores lenticular, smooth, hyaline, 2.5-3.5 × 2-2.5µm. | |
| Pseudogymnoascus roseus | ||
| 160([155]) | Gymnothecia orange brown, with comb-like appendages. Ascospores slightly lenticular, pale orange, 3.3-3.6 × 2-2.6µm. | |
| Ctenomyces serratus ([fig. 44]) | ||
| - | Gymnothecia whitish to pale ochraceous, particularly when dry, with few appendages but those present twisted and bent, and their branches constricted with regular or irregular dumb-bell shaped cells. Hyphal walls asperulate or with protuberances. Ascospores smooth, lenticular, hyaline, 2.4-3.3 × 2µm. | |
| Arthroderma curreyi ([fig. 45]) | ||
| 161([150]) | Asci relatively large, 100-200-spored, 1-3/fruit body. 'Cleistothecia' minute, <100 (rarely <250)µm diam., immersed. | |
| see Thelebolus etc. ([Key 1, 86]) | ||
| - | Asci with 8 or fewer spores. | [162] |
| 162([161]) | Ascospores purple at maturity, large, 50-70 × 25-35µm, epispore with a few longitudinal cracks. | |
| see Ascobolus immersus ([Key 1, 48]) | ||
| - | Ascospores smaller, hyaline, yellow, olivaceous, brown or black. | [163] |
| 163([162]) | Ascospores olivaceous, brown or black, at least in part. | [164] |
| - | Ascospores aseptate, hyaline, yellow or other pale colours. | [174] |
| 164([163]) | Ascospores 4-celled (cf. Sporormiella), with germ slits, readily fragmenting. Asci clavate, bitunicate. Cleistothecia black, shiny, up to 500µm diam. | [165] |
| - | Ascospores 1- or 2-celled. | [166] |
| 165([164]) | Ascus stalk up to 20µm long. Ascospores 25-32 × 5µm. | |
| Preussia vulgaris | ||
| - | Ascus stalk 30-60µm long. Ascospores 26-38 × 5-7µm. | |
| Preussia funiculata ([fig. 47]) | ||
| 166([164]) | Ascospores 2-celled. | [167] |
| - | Ascospores 1-celled | [170] |
| 167([166]) | Spores unequally 2-celled, one brown ellipsoid, with an apical germ pore, 10-12 × 6.5-7.5µm, the other a basal hyaline, cylindrical pedicel, 6-8 × 3µm. Cleistothecia black, globose, up to 250µm diam., covered with flexuous brown hairs up to 1mm long. Asci evanescent. | |
| Zopfiella erostrata | ||
| - | Spores equally 2-celled. | [168] |
| 168([167]) | Spores not constricted at the septum, ellipsoid, golden-brown, 25-30 × 10-15µm with 1-3 guttules in each cell. Cleistothecia gregarious on a mycelial mat, whitish to pale orange, up to 500µm diam. | |
| Heleococcum aurantiacum ([fig. 48]) | ||
| - | Spores hyaline, divided into two almost globose cells by the constricting septum. Ascomata superficial, globose, dark coloured. | |
| (Mycoarachis) [169] | ||