Micraspis
Micraspis Darker, Canad. J. Bot. 41: 1390. 1963, IF:3150
Sexual morph: Apothecia scattered or in small clusters, not confluent, orbicular to irregularly elongate, subcuticular or erumpent between fibers, primordia developing inside the superficial layers of the host tissues, closed at first, then opening by irregular lacerate longitudinal slits when mature, tearing open of the original stromatic covering layer, like rectangular lids that open when moist, outside dark, inside black or light gray (hyaline), or less differentiated, smooth and protruding slightly above the hymenium, receptacle highly melanized, shining black, contracted and hiding the hymenium when dry, when fresh exposing a pale gray-orange or black hymenium. Ectal excipulum poorly developed, similar thickness from lower flank to margin, 20–120 µm thick, thicker at upper flank and thinner near the margin or in the lower flanks, up to 30 µm thick or less at base; composed of textura epidermoidea at margin and flanks, hyphae thick-walled agglutinated and interwoven mostly in one plane, cells irregularly shaped, walls dark brown and lumen hyaline, cortical layer with cells covered by a thick refractive smooth yellowish gel, more abundant at upper and lower flanks; excipulum at base of textura globosa–angularis, cells smaller than at flanks and with thin dark walls and vertically arranged near medulla changing progressively in the medulla to hyaline cells. At the margin, covering layer lined on the inside with up to 5–20 µm of branched netlike interwoven colorless hyphae immersed in a yellowish gel (plectenchymatous tissue), merging at the periphery of the stroma with vertically oriented cells. Medullary excipulum mostly restricted beneath the hymenium, 20–100 µm thick, not developed to undifferentiated from the ectal excipulum at flanks, below the hymenium composed of a loose network of narrow hyphae (plectenchymatous tissue), then brownish to hyaline textura globosa–angularis in the transition with ectal excipulum. Paraphyses cylindrical uninflated to slightly-medium clavate at the apex, straight or slightly sinuous, no more than 5-septate, equidistantly spaced or with 1–2 cells apically closely septate and constricted, simple or branching dichotomously below the apical cell, rarely branched in the lower cells, covered or not by a thin brownish amorphous layer. Asci cylindric-clavate, 4–8-spored, bi- or triseriate inside the asci, in dead state entire wall of sporiferous part thick-walled, apex hemispherical, inamyloid, wall strongly thickened with an ocular chamber, arising from croziers. Ascospores cylindricalfusoid to clavate-ellipsoid, hyaline, poles rounded to obtuse, sometimes with one extreme wider than the other, straight or slightly curved, with 1–3(–5) transverse septa at maturity, not or slightly constricted at septa, without sheaths, eguttulate or with tiny sparse guttules, germinating at both poles and producing cylindrical or sub-cylindrical conidia directly from the ascospores walls or germ tubes. Asexual morph: Conidiomata pycnidioid, scattered, dark brown to black, shining, outline elliptical to circular or irregular, raised to pulvinate, immersed, subcuticular to partly subepidermal, unilocular to multilocular or convoluted, inostiolate, opening by single longitudinal or several radial splits, covering layer textura epidermoidea composed of dark brown to black, septate, thick-walled, irregular hyphae, firmly attached to host cuticle or epidermis. Conidiophores lining all inner surfaces of conidioma, simple or branched, sometimes septate, subcylindrical, tapering toward apex, hyaline, smooth, frequently reduced to conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells enteroblastic, phialidic, integrated or discrete, determinate or indeterminate, simple or unbranched, hyaline, smooth, aperture minute, collarette inconspicuous. Conidia filiform to falcate or fusiform to allantoid, 0–2(–3)-septate, hyaline, smooth, guttulate or eguttulate.
Reference:
Quijada L, Tanney JB, Popov E, Johnston PR, Pfister DH. 2020. Cones, needles and wood: Micraspis (Micraspidaceae, Micraspidales fam. et ord. nov.) speciation segregates by host plant tissues. Fungal Systematics and Evolution 5, 99-111.
Recent Genus
RutstroemiaXeropilidium
Ionomidotis
Recent Species
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Xeropilidium dennisii