Rhizodiscina
Rhizodiscina Hafellner, Beihefte zur Nova Hedwigia 62: 195 (1979).
Index Fungorum number: IF 4709; Facesoffungi number: FoF 00361, 2 morphological species (Species Fungorum 2022), 1 species with molecular data.
Saprobic on Oak trees (Quercus sp.) and on basidiomata of Aphyllophorales in terrestrial habitats. Sexual morph: Ascomata apothecial, in small groups or scattered on the bark, superficial, closed when young, exposed with black velvety hymenium at maturity, slightly thick, crenulated and arising above at the rim, with a convex outline, with black anchoring base. Exciple pseudoparenchymatous, with black outer layers, discontinuously merged with host surface, with inner layers composed of densely arranged cells of textura angularis, thicker than outer layer, dark brown. Hamathecium composed of 1.5–2 µm wide, thick, branched, hyaline, septate pseudoparaphyses, slightly swollen on the apex, anastomosed, forming a light brown epithecium above or at the level of asci. Asci bitunicate, clavate, long pedicellate, wide at the apex, with wide ocular chamber. Ascospores irregularly arranged, obovoid to oblong, uniseptate, brown, with slightly swollen upper cell, slender in the remaining part, rounded at the ends, constricted at the septa, smooth-walled. Asexual morph: Unknown (adapted from Hafellner 1979).
Type species: Rhizodiscina lignyota (Fr.) Hafellner
Notes: Rhizodiscina is characterised by apothecial ascomata, pseudoparenchymatous exciple, clavate, long pedicellate asci and obovoid to oblong,uniseptate, brown ascospores. Hafellner (1979) re-examined Peziza lignyota Fr. and erected Rhizodiscina to accommodate the taxon and treated the genus in Patellariaceae based on morphology. This treatment was followed by Eriksson and Hawksworth (1993). Rhizodiscina resembles Poetschia in having similar hamathecium, shape and size of asci and spores, epithecium and hyphae (Kutorga and Hawksworth 1997). Yacharoen et al. (2015) re-studied the neotype specimen of Rhizodiscina lignyota (M 0177903) and accepted Rhizodiscina as a distinct genus in Patellariaceae. More collections are required to verify the status of the genus within the family.
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