Pyrenomycetes Species Page

Cuspidatospora xiphiago

Small separate ascomata
didymospore
Shearer & Bartolata
Cuspidatispora xiphiago Shearer & Bartolata, in Miller, Shearer, Bartolata & Huhndorf, Mycoscience 47(4): 220 (2006)
Sordariomycetidae
Sordariales
Figure from CAS184-1 Type Specimen: USA. Illinois. Vermilion County, Jordan Creek, 40°49'50"N, 87°49'50"W, 14 Mar 1994, C.A. Shearer, A184-1 (Holotype in ILL; isotype as I Material Examined: CAS184-1 (HOLOTYPE)
Genbank Accession: DQ376251.1 (LSU), DQ376252.1 (B-tub)
Complete Description
Ascomata ovoid, papillate, 300–400 µm high, 250–300 µm diam, numerous, scattered to gregarious, erumpent to superficial, covered with villose hairs; hairs flexuous, beige to pale brown, sparse, thin-walled, septate, 1–2.5 µm wide; neck conical, 60–90 µm high, 70–100 µm wide, glabrous, black. – Ascomal wall of textura angularis and textura prismatica in surface view, areolate, in longitundinal section 3-layered, 21.5–43 µm thick, inner layer pseudoparenchymatous, 8–11.5 µm thick, composed of 2–4 layers of elongate, flattened, hyaline, thin-walled cells, middle layer scleroplectenchymatous, 5.5–14 µm thick, composed of 2–3 layers of angular, dark brown, thick-walled melanized cells, outer layer prosenchymatous, 8–17.5 µm thick, composed of 2–5 layers of loosely interwoven hyphae which comprise the villose hairs. – Ascomal apex with periphyses. – Centrum hyaline. – Paraphyses filiform, 120–250 µm long, 2.5–8 µm wide, longer than asci, hyaline, numerous, septate, unbranched. – Asci cylindro-clavate to clavate, 95–150 X 15.5–21 µm, stipitate, stipe 25.5–38 X 2.5–3 µm, numerous, unitunicate, thin-walled, apex rounded; ring narrow, deep, refractive; with 8, biseriate to tetraseriate ascospores. – Ascospores broadly fusiform, with an apical wall extension, initially one-celled, 25.5–36.5 X 10–12 µm; ascospore becoming septate; upper cell ellipsoid, 23–30.5 X 10–12 µm, conical at apex, truncate at base, becoming brown to dark brown and 1-medially septate; lower cell differentiated by a septum, conical, 2.5–6 X 2.5–5.5, hyaline, commonly collapsing; apical wall extension apiculate, 4.5–8.5 X 0.5–1.5 µm, becoming pale brown to brown, rigid, persistent. (from Miller et al., Mycoscience (2006) 47:218–223)
Occurrence
Only known from type locality (Illinois).
Similar Taxa Comments
Cuspidatispora xiphiago shares a similar cephalothecoid ascomatal wall as that of Cercophora solaris. Both species group together with support in phylogenies of LSU data.
Reference
Miller, A.N., M. Bartolata, C.A. Shearer, and S.M. Huhndorf. 2006. Cuspidatispora xiphiago gen. et sp. nov. from eastern North American freshwater streams. Mycoscience 47(4): 218–223. DOI: 10.1007/s10267-006-0296-6 See also: http://fungi.life.illinois.edu/ http://fungi.life.illinois.edu/species_monographs/59