Pleosporales » Melanommataceae » Melanomma

Melanomma pulvis-pyrius

Melanomma pulvis-pyrius (Pers.) Fuckel, Jb. nassau. Ver. Naturk. 23-24: 160 (1870) [1869-70].

≡ Sphaeria pulvis-pyrius Pers., Syn. meth. fung. (Göttingen) 1: 86 (1801).

Index Fungorum number: IF 182890; Facesoffungi number: FoF 00775, Fig. 1

Description: see Tian et al. (2015).

Material examined: see Tian et al. (2015).

Fig. 1. Melanomma pulvis-pyrius (IFRD 2001, epitype). a Appearance of ascomata on the host surface. b Section through ascomata. c Peridium. d Filamentous, branching, septate pseudoparaphyses. e–g Asci with ascospores. h–k Ascospores. Scale bars: a = 500 μm, b = 100 μm, c = 20 μm, d–k = 10 μm.

Melanomma subdispersum (P. Karst.) Berl. & Voglino, in Saccardo, Syll. fung., Addit. I-IV (Abellini): 148 (1886).

≡ Sphaeria subdispersa P. Karst., Hedwigia 23(4): 57 (1884).

Index Fungorum number: IF 162065; Facesoffungi number: FoF 00775, Fig. 2

Description:

Saprobic or hemibiotrophic on host. Sexual morph: Ascomata 200–215 μm diam., 160–170 μm high, immersed, or semi-immersed, clustered or scattered, globose, ovoid, obovoid or obpyriform, brown to dark brown or black, membranous, surrounded by dark-brown setae. Peridium 45–60 μm, thick-walled composed of 4–5 layers of brown to dark brown pseudoparanchymatous cells, forming a textura globulosa, less dark towards the centre, Hamathecium 0.5–1.3 μm, comprising numerous, anastomosing, trabeculate pseudoparaphyses, embedded in gelatinous matrix. Asci 90−100 × 11−12 µm (x̄ = 97.3 × 11.7 µm, n = 10), bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindrical to cylindric-clavate, with a long pedicel, apically rounded, with an indistinct ocular chamber. Ascospores 20−25 × 5.9−7 µm (x̄ = 22.9 × 6.5 µm, n = 10), uni-seriate, partially overlapping, narrowly fusoid with sharp to narrowly rounded edges, olivaceous brown to medium brown, 3-septate, constricted at median septum with a smooth spore wall and without a sheath. Asexual morph: Unknown.

Material examined: England, Dunford house, Midhurst, Sussex, on bark of Betula (Betulaceae), 23 May 1959, M.B Ellis (UME 27027).

Fig. 2 Melanomma subdispersum (UME 27027). a–d Herbarium material and appearance of ascomata on host substrate. e Section through ascoma. f Peridium. g Trabeculate pseudoparaphyses. h–l Asci. m–q Ascospores. Scale bars: c = 5000 μm, d = 500 μm, e, h–l = 50 μm, f, m–q = 20 μm, g = 10 μm.

Importance and distribution

There are 175 Melanomma epithets in Index Fungorum (2022), but many species have been transferred to other genera such as Acanthostigma, Amphisphaeria, Astrosphaeriella, Bertia, Byssothecium, Capronia, Ceratostomella, Chaetomastia, Chiajaea, Cucurbitaria, Exosporiella, Gibberidea, Herpotrichia, Hymenopleella, Kalmusia, Kastanostachys, Lepteutypa, Leptosphaeria, Lizonia, Melanopsamma, Menispora, Monascostroma, Nigrograna, Paraconiothyrium, Paraleptosphaeria, Plenodomus, Pleospora, Pyrenula, Requienella, Splanchnonema, Sporormiella, Syncarpella, Teichospora, Thaxteriella, Thyridaria, Tirisporella, Trematosphaeria, Winterina, Xenonectria and Zignoella. Melanomma has wide host range such as Acer sp. (Sapindaceae), Bambusa sp. (Poaceae), Fagus sp. (Fagaceae), Fraxinus sp. (Oleaceae), Hedera sp. (Araliaceae), Hevea brasiliensis (Euphorbiaceae), Lonicera periclymenum (Caprifoliaceae), Populus trichocarpa (Salicaceae), Rhamnus sp. (Rhamnaceae), Sambucus sp. (Adoxaceae), Sorbus aucuparia (Rosaceae), Ulex sp. (Fabaceae) and Ulmus sp. (Ulmaceae). Melanomma is known from Africa (Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana), Asia (China, Japan, Philippines, Russia), Europe (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Ukraine), North America (Canada, The United States) and South America (Argentina).