Introduction The Leotiomycetes are the inoperculate class of ascos, where the ascii do not have a lid, but instead have a pore at the top that the spores escape from. This is difficult to see without a quality microscope, but the species in the class are usually tiny cup fungi (maximum size <1cm across) growing on wood, as well as the earth tongues (club fungi with a differentiated head). In contrast, the Pezizomycetes contain true truffles, morels and false morels, the larger cup fungi, and tiny cups that do not grow on wood (although there are exceptions). Other smaller classes of ascos exist as well, with more cups, truffle-like fungi, and carbonaceous fungi. My ITS tree cannot always show the families holding together, but a 15-gene study and this previous 15-gene study confirm much of where I have placed these species. This page contains one of the families at the very base of the very large Helotiales tree, once considered to be split into a separate order. Dermateaceae in particular usually (but not always) erupt out of wood, looking somewhat embedded (like Tympanis in the Leotiales which are clusters of black erumpent cups, and like other species in other orders which erupt out of leaves or twigs). They may be black (Dermea) or colourful (ochre) (Pezicula) and are tiny (~1mm across). abundant common uncommon rare - colour codes match my Pictorial Key and are my opinions and probably reflect my bias of living in W WA. Rare species may be locally common in certain places at certain times.

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