Palawania
Palawania (Niessl) Syd. & P. Syd., Philipp. J. Sci., C, Bot. 9(2): 171 (1914).
Index Fungorum number: IF 3682; Facesoffungi number: FoF 06426, 3 morphological species (Species Fungorum 2022), 1 species with molecular data.
Saprobic on dead palm rachides. Sexual morph: Ascomata superficial, solitary or scattered, coriaceous, appearing as circular, scattered, flattened, dark brown to black spots, covering the host, without a subiculum, with a poorly developed basal layer and an irregular margin. Ostiole central. Peridium comprising of dark brown or black to light brown cell of textura epidermoidea at the top, with light brown cells of textura angularis at the sides. Hamathecium comprising cylindrical to filiform, septate, pseudoparaphyses. Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, inequilateral to ovoid, pedicellate, straight or slightly curved, short pedicel, without ocular chamber. Ascospores overlapping, irregularly arranged, oblong to broadly fusiform, hyaline, becoming brown at maturity, uniseptate, constricted at the septum, guttulate, surrounded by hyaline gelatinous sheath, observed clearly when mounted in Indian ink. Asexual morph: Unknown (adapted from Mapook et al. 2016).
Type species: Palawania grandis (Niessl) Syd. & P. Syd.
Notes: Palawania is characterised by superficial, solitary or scattered ascomata, inequilateral to ovoid, pedicellate asci and oblong to broadly fusiform, hyaline ascospores surrounded by hyaline gelatinous sheath. Palawania resembles Microthyrium in having same parallel arrangement of cells in the thyriothecium, but it can be differentiated by the stellate ostiole, copious pseudoparaphyses and brown ascospores, which are typical of Asterinaceae. Müller and Arx (1962) and Lumbsch and Huhndorf (2010) placed Palawania in Microthyriaceae based on morphology. Wu et al. (2011) examined the type specimen P. grandis (M-0155393) and placed Palawania in Microthyriaceae following Müller and Arx (1962) and Lumbsch and Huhndorf (2010). Mapook et al. (2016) added a third species P. thailandensis based on morphology and phylogenetic analyses. Mapook et al. (2016) also introduced the new family Palawaniaceae based on morphology, phylogenetic analysis and divergence times estimates to accommodate Palawania. Palawania is morphologically and phylogenetically a distinct and well-supported genus in Palawaniaceae. Molecular markers available for Palawania are ITS, LSU, SSU and RPB2.
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