Pyrenomycetes Species Page

Melanopsammella vermicularioides

Small separate ascomata
didymospore
(Sacc. & Roum.) Réblová, M.E. Barr & Samuels, Sydowia 51(1): 65 (1999)
Eriosphaeria vermicularioides Sacc. & Roum.
Sordariomycetidae
Chaetosphaeriales
Figure from SMH1985
Complete Description
Ascomata broadly ovoid to ampulliform, dark brown to black, 120-225 µm diam., 130-150 µm high, separate, papillate, with a numerous, scattered conidiophores and setae, brown, multiseptate, slender, tapering to an rounded apex. Ascomatal wall of textura epidermoidea in surface view, 13-20 µm thick in longitudinal section, composed of brown, pseudoparenchymatic cells. Ascomatal apex papillate. Paraphyses unbranched, septate, hyaline. Asci cylindrical-clavate, short-stalked, 55-80 x 4-5µm, unitunicate, thin-walled, with 8 ascospores arranged uniseriately. Ascospores ellipsoid, hyaline, 6-8 x 4-6µm, 1-septate, easily disarticulating into part-spores. Anamorph: Chloridium on the substrate and in culture. Conidiophores unbranched, dark brown, with percurrent proliferations, 68-192 x 2.5-3.5 µm. Phialide simple with multiple proliferations and distinct collarettes. Conidia 3-5 x 2.5-3 µm, one-celled, ellipsoid to cylindrical, formed in slimy heads. For additional culture characteristics see Gams and Holubova-Jechova (1976).
Occurrence
Found on decaying wood. Our collections are from Costa Rica and Puerto Rico. From the literature it appears to have a cosmopolitan distribution. Figure from SMH1985 (Puerto Rico).
Similar Taxa Comments
In M. vermicularioides, the anamorph presents a much simpler morphology than in the anamorph of M. gonytrichii, although conidium ontogeny and conidiogenous cell proliferation are essentially the same. The ascospores are slightly wider than in M. gonytrichii.