Meliolaster
Meliolaster Höhn., Ber. dt. bot. Ges. 35(10): 701 (1918).
Index Fungorum number: IF 3102; Facesoffungi number: FoF 06738, 2 morphological species (Species Fungorum 2022), no molecular data available.
Epiphytes on the lower surface, forming irregular, 4–8 mm diam., blackened colonies, comprising an outer superficial, web-like, blackened hyphae and central thyriothecia. Superficial hyphae abundant on the host surface, superficial, branching, easily removed from the host, with numerous appressoria. Appressoria nearly circular to ovoid, lateral and alternative, sparsely septate. Sexual morph: Thyriothecia superficial on the host, flattened, black, with basal peridium poorly developed, opening by stellate-like fissures. Upper wall circular, with irregularly arranged cells. Hamathecium lacking pseudoparaphyses. Asci bitunicate, globose to subglobose, apedicellate, apical region of asci usually with a thick opaque region, ocular chamber not observed, not staining blue in IKI. Ascospores fasciculate, claviform with apical cell largest, basal cell tapering, reddish-brown, 2–3- septate, constricted at the septum, straight or curved, smooth-walled, with remnants of mucilage. Asexual morph: Unknown (adapted from Hongsanan et al. 2014).
Type species: Meliolaster clavisporus (Pat.) Höhn.
Notes: Meliolaster resembles Batistinula and Halbania in having 3-septate ascospores, but differs in the presence and shape of appressoria on the hyphae. Meliolaster is unique in having radially arranged cells in the thyriothecia, which open by star-like fissures when mature. Fresh collections with DNA sequence data are needed to confirm the taxonomic placement of Meliolaster.
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