Ascobolus cervinus
Ascobolus cervinus Berk. & Broome, J. Linn. Soc. Lond. (Bot.) 15 (1876) 85, IF: 144590
Holotype: Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Peradeniya, on dung of deer (?), 11.1869, Thwaites 1122 (K).
Coprophilous on dung ofelk (Alces alces) and probably of deer. Sexual morph: Apothecial, gregarious or crowded, superficial, sessile, on a broad base, up to 2.5 mm across and I mm high. Receptacle at first closed and subglobular, then opening at the top and hemispherical, finally expanding and becoming scutellate, often irregularly shaped by mutualpressure, brownish olive-green, rather dark at maturity, fleshy, finely verrucose or furfuraceous, with a prominent margin. Disc at first concave to flat, finally often slightly convex, roughened by the protrading tips of ripe asci, at first yellow-green to pale olive-green, then dark olive, becoming dark brown to almost black at maturity. Hymenium about 190 µm thick. Hypothecium clearly differentiated, 28-35 µm thick, ofisodiametric thin-walled cells 5-11 µm wide. Medullary excipulum 160-250 µm thick, hyaline, consisting of fairly thin-walled isodiametricto oblong cells, 7-45 x 5-20 µm and a few subcylindrical hyphae about 4-5 µm wide (textura globulosa). Cortical excipulum near the base 35-150 µm thick, at the margin 18-40 µm wide, with brownish to darkbrown amorphous intercellularpigment, consisting ofclosely compacted thick-walledsubglobular cells 5-45 x 5-35 µm (textura globulosa), over the whole surface with increasing deposits of granular and amorphous brown pigment, covered with small, oftenrather sparse, irregular groups of isodiametric and oblong strongly pigmented cells 5-15 x 4-9 µm. Asci cylindrical, gradually narrower towards the base, rounded above, 165-185 x 14-17 µm, 8-spored, the wall staining faintly blue with iodine. Ascospores 1-2-seriate, ellipsoid (lengthwidth ratio (Q) 1.7-1.9, average 1.83), at first hyaline, then purplish, becoming purplish brown at maturity, (14.1—) 15.4—16.0(—17.7) x (7.4-)8.0-9.0(-9.6) µm (ornamentation included), without oil-globules or granules, ornamented with a pattern of more or less longitudinal anastomosing fine lines (6-8 visible at lateral view). Paraphyses frequent, septate, cylindrical, branched, hyaline, 2.0-2.5 µm thick, not or scarcely enlarged up to 2-4 µm at the tip, embedded in yellowish green to olive brown mucus strongly darkening with age.
Specimens examined. NORWAY: Buskerud, 0vre Eiker, R0kkebergtjern, c. 200 m alt., on elk dungin spruce wood, 4.VI.1995, R. Kristiansen RK 95.62 (L); Hedmark, S0r-Odal, Galterud, Molykkja, c. 300m alt., on elk dung in spruce wood, 25.V.1996, A. Sagbakken & R. Kristiansen RK 96.13 (L); idem,23.VI.1996, RK 96.18 (L); Hedmark,Kongsvinger, Serkilampi nature reserve, c. 300 m alt., on elk dung on spruce wood, 24.VI.1996, R. Kristiansen RK 96.19 (L); Hordaland, Voss, on elk dung, IV.1976, 1. Trpen 57b (BG); Finnmark, S0r-Varanger, 0vre Pasvik National Park, on elk dung, 13.VII.1968, S. Sivertsen (TRH); Oppland, Vagamoi, Glitteheim-road, on elk dung, 27.VII. 1998, R. Kristiansen RK 98. 76 (L). — SRI LANKA: Peradeniya, on dungof deer (?), II. 1869,Thwaites 1122 (holotype of Ascobolus cervinus Berk. & Broome; K).
Fig.1. Ascoboluscervinus.—a-c. Habitoffruit-bodies,x16; d-j. ascospores, x 1600 (a-c,f-j,from R. Kristiansen RK96.18; d, e, from holotype).
Fig. 2. Ascobolus cervinus. — a. Photomicrograph of part of median section through ripe fruit-body (bar = 50 μm); b. idem, detail near margin (bar = 50 μm); c. scanning electron micrograph of ascospores (bar = 5 μm) (all from R. Kristiansen RK 96.18).
Reference:
Van Brummelen J & Kristiansen R. Two rare coprophilous ascomycetes from Norway. Persoonia 17, 119-125
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