Ascodesmis sphaerospora
Ascodesmis sphaerospora W. Obrist, Can. J. Bot. 39: 948
(1961)
Facesoffungi number: FoF 04201
Saprobic on herbivore dung. Sexual morph: Apothecia 80–200 µm, gregarious, sessile, superficial on the substrate, hyaline, without excipulum, with many asci surrounded by paraphyses attached to a basal pad. Receptacle hemispherical to subglobose. Paraphyses 3.5–5 µm wide, numerous, unbranched, aseptate, filiform, slightly enlarged at the apices, slightly longer than the asci. Asci 55–80 x 24–33 µm, 8-spored, sometimes with 4 or 5-spores, unitunicate, operculate, broadly clavate, oblong or ovoid, thin-walled, rounded at the apex, wall deep blue in Melzer’s reagent. Ascospores 11–15 x 10.5–14 µm, spherical to ellipsoid, hyaline when immature and dark brown at maturity with net-like, dark brown, reticulations
and irregular ridges, young spores are thick-walled and mature spores are thin-walled. Asexual morph: Undetermined (Description modified from Obrist 1961).
Notes: Ascodesmis sphaerospora is characterized by its spore ornamentation, net-like, dark brown reticulations and irregular ridges. The number, size, and shape of the ascospores of Ascodesmis sphaerospora vary according to the substrate. When growing on dung the spores are mostly globose, but they are elliptic on artificial media (Obrist 1961).
Morphology of Ascodesmis sphaerospora. a,b Habit of apothecium, c Ascus and paraphyses attached to a basal pad, d ovoid ascus open with an operculum, e ellipsoid ascospores, f ovoid ascus (Redrawn from Van Brummelen1981; Obrist 1961)
Recent Genus
RutstroemiaXeropilidium
Ionomidotis
Recent Species
Encoelia furfuraceaRutstroemia tiliacea
Xeropilidium dennisii