Sarcinella
Sarcinella Sacc., Michelia 2(no. 6): 31 (1880).
Index Fungorum number: IF 9781; Facesoffungi number: FoF 12087, 69 morphological species (Species Fungorum 2022), no molecular data available.
Colonies formed on surface of living leaves, thin to dense, circular to irregular, black, confluent. Hyphae superficial, straight to curved, septate, irregular to reticulately branched, brown, appressoriate, with smooth outer surface, tuberculate to crenulate. Hyphopodia alternate to unilateral, unicellular, elliptical, globose to subglobose, dark brown, formed laterally, wall thick. Sexual morph: Immature ascomata orbicular, pale to dark brown, with radiating cells on the upper surface, dissolute at the centre at maturity. Mature ascomata superficial on hyphae, scattered, globose, dark brown, membranous, with a few exposed asci. Peridium thin. Hamathecium with few asci, lacking pseudoparaphyses. Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, broadly clavate, globose to ovate, exposed. Ascospores multiseriate, broadly fusiform, ellipsoid to oblong, hyaline, uniseptate, smooth-walled, constricted at the septum, ends rounded to point. Asexual morph: Conidiophores macronematous to micronematous, mononematous, lateral, 0–2- septate. Conidiogenous cells monoblastic to polyblastic, lateral or integrated, terminal, lateral, intercalary, determinate. Conidia solitary, acrogenous or acropleurogenous, 4-celled, narrowly ellipsoidal to obovoid, subglobose, sarciniform, dark brown to reddish brown, curved, falcate, sigmoid, truncate at the base, constricted at the septum (adapted from Hosagoudar 2011, Dai et al. 2014).
Type species: Sarcinella heterospora Sacc.
Notes: Sarcinella is characterised by orbicular, pale to dark brown ascomata, broadly clavate, globose to ovate asci and broadly fusiform, ellipsoid to oblong, hyaline, uniseptate ascospores. The asexual morph is characterised by macronematous or micronematous, mononematous, lateral, 0–2- septate conidiophores, monoblastic to polyblastic conidiogenous cells and acrogenous or acropleurogenous, 4-celled, narrowly ellipsoidal to obovoid, subglobose, sarciniform conidia. Several authors have introduced new species (Spegazzini 1912, Sydow 1930, Meenu et al. 1994, Singh & Singh 2005, Hosagoudar 2006, 2007, 2009, Bhise et al. 2014). Hughes (1983) mentioned that S. heterospora, the type of Sarcinella, is the asexual morph of Questieriella which is based on Q. pulchra. Hughes (1983) considered Sarcinella and Questieriella as synonyms. Hughes (1952) differentiated the asexual morph of Schiffnerula mirabilis, the type of the genus Schiffnerula from Sarcinella pulchra. Hughes (1952) and Hosagoudar (2003) regarded S. mirabilis and S. pulchra to be congeneric, hence Schiffnerula is also congeneric with Questieriella and Sarcinella. Hughes (1990) described a second species S. corni from Quebec characterised by Questieriella and Sarcinella synasexual morphs which again highlight the synonymy of these genera but molecular data is not available to confirm these relationships. Rossman et al. (2016) suggested the use of the name Sarcinella over Schiffnerula and Questieriella based on the principle of priority since it is the oldest generic name for these fungi. Sarcinella is therefore a distinct genus in Englerulaceae. The type species of Sarcinella, S. heterospora must be re-collected and the genus must be epitypified. Fresh collections with DNA sequence data are needed to confirm the taxonomic placement of Sarcinella.
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