Leotiales

© Matthew Koons

Danny’s DNA Discoveries – Leotiales etc. of the PNW
by Danny Miller

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 classes of ascos exist as well with more cups, truffle-like fungi, and carbonaceous fungi. My ITS tree cannot show the orders holding together, but a 15-gene study confirms where I have placed these species.

Leotiales in particular contain a gelatinous earth tongue as well as other earth tongues and cups.

Phacidiales may be sister to the Leotiales and contains two genera of local fungi, Bulgaria, black gelatinous jelly drops with an orange-brown roughened exterior, and Phacidium, erumpent black cups with a white stellate margin on holly leaves (at least).

Thelebolales are sister to the Leotiales and contains one genus of local fungi, Thelebolus, minute yellow-brown spheres (<0.5mm across) on dung.

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.

Bulgaria and Phacidium (Phacidiales)

Bulgaria iniquinans EU - it is unusual for a jelly fungus to be an asco, not a basidio, but these are. They are black jelly drops may have an orange-brown, roughened exterior growing on hardwood. They may be several cms across. Our OR and BC sequences match many EU type area sequences as well as those from ENA.

Bulgaria iniquinans © Bruce Newhouse

Phacidium laceratum EU - one WA sequence of erumpent black cups with a white stellate margin on holly leaves matches the epitype sequence of this, the type species of the genus and order. This genus was not known from the PNW until this was sequenced.

Phacidium lacerum © Matthew Koons (2 images)

Thelebolus (Thelebolales)

Thelebolus stercoreus EU - minute yellow-brown discs (<0.5mm across) on dung. Each tiny fruitbody contains only one round ascus with perhaps thousands of spores. Other species in the genus are more "normal" with multiple asci with 8 spores each. CA, WA, BC, ENA and EU sequences match fairly well. We need local collections.

unsequenced Thelebolus stercoreus © Adolf & Oluna Ceska

Leotiales

Leotia IN02 (Leotia lubrica EU misapplied) - a somewhat gelatinous yellow-orange earth tongue with an irregular hemispherical head growing from the ground. It has long been mistaken for Leotia lubrica EU. We're not sure what that species is, and it's possible this is it, but other candidates are more likely so this has a provisional code. This species has been sequenced both in WA and back east.

Leotia CA01 (Leotia viscosa SC misapplied) - has a darker, olive-greenish head. It has long been mistaken for Leotia viscosa SC, but that species has a very striking dark green head and is found back east. This species has been sequenced from CA and probably OR. We need more local collections.

Leotia IN02 © Matthew Koons, L. CA01 © Mandy Hackney (from CA)

Microglossum are terrestrial earth tongues with a spathulate, elongated head like Geoglossum, but usually paler and more brightly coloured than Geoglossum, which are dark brown to black. Microglossum has colourless spores (unlike the dark spores of Geoglossum, etc.). California has some beautiful green and turquoise species. Thuemenidium was a genus name used for some species, but it's really just a synonym of Microglossum. We don't know for sure what the DNA of any of the species reported from here look like, nor do we have any PNW sequences yet. More work is needed to sort out which species are here.

Microglossum cf atropurpureum EU - is blackish like Geoglossum, but has colourless spores. We need local collections.

Microglossum cf olivaceum EU - is dark olive-brown. We need local collections.

Microglossum cf fumosum ENA - has a brown stem and a yellow-brown head. We need local collections.

unnamed Microglossum CA02 (from CA) © Kris Fleming

Mycosymbioces mycenophila OR (='Sarcocladium' mycophila EU) - a very small, dark brown earth tongue with a round head growing from the base of a Mycena haematopus. This is the same as the EU species 'Sarcocladium' mycophila, but the type species of that genus is in the Hypocreales of the Sordariomycetes, not here, so it now has a new genus and species name.

Mycosymbioces mycenophila © Jonathan Frank

Tympanis are clusters of tiny, hard, black cups (usually <1mm across each) that emerge from branches and look partially embedded. For other erumpent species that do not erupt in clusters, see the Dermataceae. We have no sequences of the species reported from the PNW, nor do we have any local sequences yet of any them. We need collections. Here are the species reported from here so far:

Tympanis alnea EU -

Tympanis amelanchieris ON -

Tympanis confusa EU -

Tympanis hypopodia EU -

Tympanis hysterioides EU -

Tympanis laricina EU -

Tympanis spermatiospora EU -

Tympanis truncatula EU -

Claussenomyces/Vexillomyces are tiny fleshier black to olive-black cups/cushions on wood (usually <1mm across).

Claussenomyces olivaceus EU - we have EU sequences but need local collections. We don't have a sequence of the type species of the genus, Claussenomyces jahnianus EU, so I'm not sure this species is in the proper genus.

Claussenomyces pini BC - no DNA yet, so I can't confirm its genus.

Vexillomyces atrovirens EU - this is probably in the correct genus, as it is close in ITS to the type species of the genus, Vexillomcyes verruculosus EU. there are several concepts of this species in the EU, but no local collections to tell what species we have here.

'Vexillomyces' pseudotsugae CA - two sequences of this (called by the older name Tympanis pseudotsugae) suggest it is not in this class, but instead a lichen, which doesn't make much sense. We need local collections.

Vexillomyces PNW01 - one sequence of an OR collection on maple is probably none of the above species, but unnamed. It is more round/cushion shaped than cup shaped.

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