Lentithecium
Lentithecium K.D. Hyde, J. Fourn. & Ying Zhang, Fungal Diversity 38: 234 (2009).
Index Fungorum number: IF 512790; Facesoffungi number: FoF 08257, 10 morphological species (Species Fungorum 2022), 10 species with molecular data.
Saprobic on stems and twigs of herbaceous and woody plants in aquatic habitats. Sexual morph: Ascomata pseudothecial, scattered or gregarious, immersed, globose to depressed globose, dark brown to black, with sparse brown hyphae at side and base, ostiolate. Ascomatal opening slightly papillate, without periphyses and apical setae. Peridium composed of several layers of brown-walled polygonal cells. Hamathecium of 2–3.5μm wide, cellular, septate and branched pseudoparaphyses. Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindrical to broadly clavate, short pedicellate, with a shallow ocular chamber at rounded apex, basal to somewhat lateral. Ascospores bi-seriate to tri-seriate above, uni-seriate below, fusiform with rounded ends, 1–3-septate, hyaline, surrounded by a conspicuous gelatinous sheath. Asexual morph: Unknown (adapted from Hyde et al. 2013).
Type species: Lentithecium fluviatile (Aptroot & Van Ryck.) K.D. Hyde, J. Fourn. & Ying Zhang
Notes: Lentithecium is characterised by pseudothecial, scattered or gregarious, immersed, globose to depressed ascomata, cylindrical to broadly clavate asci and fusiform, 1–3-septate, hyaline ascospores with rounded ends, surrounded by a conspicuous gelatinous sheath. Hirayama et al. (2010) regarded Tingoldiago as a synonym of Lentithecium based on the lens-shaped ascomata. Hyde et al. (2013) suggested that this relationship is poorly supported, the morphological differences of ascomata and ascospores are limited and suggested that the two genera may not be congeneric. Lately, Calabon et al. (2021) did a taxonomic revision of Halobyssothecium and Lentithecium and transferred five Lentithecium species to Halobyssothecium based on phylogenetic analysis of SSU, ITS and TEF1. Lentithecium differs from Halobyssothecium in having hyaline ascospores with mucilaginous sheaths while members of Halobyssothecium have brown and versicolored ascospores lacking sheath and hyaline conidia. Lentithecium differs from Murilentithecium in that the latter has ascospores with central cells having longitudinal septa, with light end cells, becoming yellowish-brown at maturity, a thick peridium and a short neck while lentitheceous taxa have a thin peridium, fusiform to broadly cylindrical, hyaline ascospores with 1−3 transverse septa comprising refractive globules (Hyde et al. 2013, Zhang et al. 2012). The asexual morph of Lentithecium is characterised by cylindrical, hyaline conidia (Zhang et al. 2012, Hyde et al. 2013) Lentithecium is morphologically and phylogenetically a distinct genus in Lentitheciaceae. Molecular markers available for Lentithecium are ITS, LSU, SSU, RPB2 and TEF-1.
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