Dothideales » Dothideaceae

Uleodothis

Uleodothis Theiss. & Syd., Annls mycol. 13(3/4): 305 (1915).

Index Fungorum number: IF 5656; Facesoffungi number: FoF 04463, 8 morphological species (Species Fungorum 2022), no molecular data available.

Epiphytes on the lower surface of leaves of Bignonia sp. Sexual morph: Ascostromata scattered, semi-immersed in host tissue, pulvinate, subglobose to globose, dark brown to black, with branched, projected-ostiole, surface verrucose. Locules completely immersed in the middle of the ascostromata, composed of thin, flattened cells of textura angularis, pale brown to hyaline. Hamathecium of hyaline, aseptate, pseudoparaphyses, embedded in a gelatinous matrix. Peridium comprising two-layers, outer layer: yellowish-brown to dark brown, cells of textura angularis, inner layer: thin, hyaline, flattened cells of textura angularis. Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, cylindrical to oblong, with slightly long pedicel. Ascospores uni to 2-seriate in ascus, uniseptate or swollen at the center, oval to ellipsoid, generally straight, rounded at both ends, not constricted, hyaline, verrucose, embedded in gelatinous matrix. Asexual morph: Unknown (adapted from Hyde et al. 2018).

 

Type species: Uleodothis balansiana (Sacc., Roum. & Berl.) Theiss. & Syd.

 

Notes: Uleodothis is characterised by subglobose to globose, dark brown to black ascostromata, cylindrical to oblong asci and oval to ellipsoid ascospores, embedded in gelatinous matrix. Stevens (1920) placed Uleodothis in Dothioraceae (Dothideales). von Müller and Arx (1962) transferred Uleodothis to Mycosphaerellaceae (Pseudosphaeriales) while Luttrell (1973) referred it to Venturiaceae (Venturiales). Zhang et al. (2011) excluded Uleodothis from Venturiales and treated it in Dothideomycetes incertae sedis based on morphology of mainly immersed ascomata in ascostromata, persistent pseudoparaphyses, cylindrical asci, with uniseptate ascospores. This treatment was followed by Wijayawardene et al. (2014, 2017, 2018). Uleodothis resembles Plowrightia in having semi-immersed, multi-loculate, pulvinate, dark brown to black ascostromata and uniseptate ascospores. Uleodothis can be distinguished from Plowrightia in that the latter has thick-walled locules which form in the upper stroma, lacking pseudoparaphyses, and ascospores which are constricted at the septum while Uleodothis has rather thin-walled locules which develop in middle of stromata, tenacious pseudoparaphyses and ascospores somewhat constricted at the septum or lacking septation (Thambugala et al. 2014; Hyde et al. 2018). Uleodothis is also morphologically similar to Aplosporella but differs in that the latter has wide and uneven opening, thick-walled locules, lacks pseudoparaphyses, and has clavate asci with short pedicels and hyaline to dark brown, uniseptate ascospores (Liu et al. 2012; Thambugala et al. 2014; Ekanayaka et al. 2016). Hyde et al. (2018) re-examined a specimen of U. balansiana (BR5020077187720) and accepted Uleodothis in Dothideaceae based on morphology. Saccardo and Berlese (1885), Theissen and Sydow (1915) and Hyde et al. (2018) observed hyaline, aseptate, pseudoparaphyses which is unusual for this order. DNA sequence is lacking for Uleodothis. More collections and sequences are needed to clarify the phylogenetic placement of Uleodothis.

 

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