Anamylopsoraceae — a new family of lichenized ascomycetes with stipitate apothecia (Lecanorales: Agyriineae)

The anatomy, chemistry and developmental morphology ofAnamylopsora pulcherrima is investigated. Some characters, including the ascus structure, suggest a close affinity with theAgyriaceae. However, the chemistry and the pycnidial structure differ as well as the ascoma ontogeny.Anamylopsora has a gymnocarpous ascoma development and the ascogonia are produced in stipes.Trapelia coarctata, as a typical member of theAgyriaceae, shows a hemiangiocarpous ascoma ontogeny. The anatomical, chemical and ontogenetical characters of several families are compared withAnamylopsora and it is shown that the genus is best placed in a monotypic familyAnamylopsoraceae Lumbsch & Lunke, fam. nova, which is placed in theAgyriineae (Lecanorales).This paper is dedicated to Prof. DrAino Henssen (Marburg) on the occasion of the 70th birthday.     

On the ascus types in thePhysciaceae (Lecanorales)

Comparative studies in thePhysciaceae revealed that characters of the apical apparatus of asci differ between the various genera. Two major ascus types are observable in this family. They are found to correspond with certain ascospore types.     

Ascospore formation and morphology in two species of the genusErysiphe remaining immature on the living host plant

Erysiphe cumminsiana andE. galeopsidis, which have immature asci in the current season, have been recorded from Japan, but the ascospores of both fungi have not been described. In the present experiments, some observations before and after overwintering were made on the cleistothecia ofE. cumminsiana on three species ofCacalia and two species ofLigularia, andE. galeopsidis onGeranium thunbergii. After overwintering, the former fungus developed six to eight, rarely four spores in an ascus and the latter fungus always four spores in an ascus. Their teleomorphic characteristics including those of ascospores are also described.     

Stephanosporaceae — eine neue Familie derBasidiomycetes mit aphyllophoralen und gastroiden Fruchtkörpern

The new familyStephanosporaceae (Basidiomycetes, Fungi) is proposed. As far as known, the range of the family covers aphyllophoroid (Lindtneria) and gastroid genera (Stephanospora) which are characterized by strongly sculptured and coloured spores. From the micro- and ultrastructural point of viewLindtneria andStephanospora are practically undistinguishable. Therefore, the two genera are considered to be closely related, despite their striking differences concerning the macromorphology of their carpophores.

     

New fungal genera, Tectonidula gen. nov. for Calosphaeria-like fungi with holoblastic-denticulate conidiogenesis and Natantiella gen. nov. for three species segregated from Ceratostomella

Two morphologically similar groups of ascomycetes with globose to subglobose perithecia, elongate necks, unitunicate asci floating freely at maturity, and hyaline ascospores currently placed in Calosphaeria s. lat. and Ceratostomella s. lat., respectively, are studied. The Calosphaeria-like fungi have groups of perithecia growing between cortex and wood, arranged in circular groups with converging necks and piercing the cortex in a common point; the asci with a shallow apical ring and U- to horseshoe-shaped hyaline ascospores are compared with Calosphaeria pulchella, the type species of the genus. Conidiogenesis of the investigated Calosphaeria-like fungi is holoblastic-denticulate; ramichloridium-like and sporothrix-like conidiophores and conidia were formed in vitro. Ascospore and ascus morphology, structure of the ascal apex, ascogenous system, mode of conidiogenesis and the large subunit rRNA sequences of this group differ considerably from C. pulchella and both groups are unrelated. Thus a new genus, Tectonidula, is described with two accepted species, T. hippocrepida and T. fagi; they are separated by ascospore and ascus morphology and holoblastic-denticulate conidiogenesis from the core species of Calosphaeria. The placement of Tectonidula among perithecial ascomycetes is discussed. The relationship of Tectonidula with Barbatosphaeria and two ramichloridium-like hyphomycetous genera Rhodoveronaea and Myrmecridium is investigated. Three species formerly attributed to Ceratostomella are studied. The revision of the herbarium type specimen and fresh material of Ceratostomella ligneola revealed that it is conspecific with Ceratostomella ampullasca and Ceratostomella similis. The LSU phylogeny clearly separated C. ligneola from Ceratostomella s. str. and morphologically similar Lentomitella. On the basis of molecular sequence data and detailed comparison of morphology of asci, ascospores and ascogenous system the genus Natantiella is described for C. ligneola with C. ampullasca and C. similis as its synonyms. Natantiella produced sterile mycelium in vitro.     

A phylogenetic analysis of the Euterpeinae (Palmae; Arecoideae; Areceae) based on morphology and anatomy

The Euterpeinae contains six neotropical genera. There has been continual disagreement on generic and subgeneric boundaries in the subtribe.Euterpe andPrestoea, andJessenia andOenocarpus, have been repeatedly united and separated. A phylogenetic analysis based on 54 morphological and anatomical characters gave one tree of 127 steps.Euterpe is separate fromPrestoea, butJessenia andOenocarpus are best treated as one genus. Subgeneric relationships ofEuterpe andOenocarpus are also analyzed and discussed.     

Taxonomic separation ofKengyilia (Poaceae: Triticeae) in relation to nearest relatedRoegneria,Elymus, andAgropyron,based on some morphological characters

Based on 100 species representative of the four genera, we scored 290 herbarium specimens for a number of morphological characters. The data were subjected to canonical discriminant analysis using characters different from those in the identification key to these genera byBaum, Yen, andYang (1991). These characters collectively support the four groupsAgropyron, Kengyilia, Roegneria, andElymus as previously defined. The four groups are also supported by the linear discriminant function with an overall rate of 83% correct classification. Length of lemma awn was found to be an additional diagnostic character asAgropyron andKengyilia have lemma awns shorter than 5 mm, whereasRoegneria andElymus have longer lemma awns with very few exceptions. Length of glume awns is also a useful supplementary generic diagnostic.Agropyron andElymus have glume awns, whereas the majority of species ofKengyilia and more than half of the species ofRoegneria lack them. If a glume awn is present it is usually not longer than 1 mm.     

A phylogenetic analysis of chloroplast DNA restriction site variation inPoaceae subfam.Pooideae

A phylogenetic analysis was conducted on chloroplast DNA restriction site variation in 34 genera of grasses (familyPoaceae), including 28 genera from subfam.Pooideae (representing tribesAveneae, Brachypodieae, Bromeae, Meliceae, Poeae, Stipeae, andTriticeae) and representatives of three other subfamilies,Arundinoideae, Oryzoideae, andPanicoideae. Analyses of all 34 genera always distinguishedPooideae as monophyletic, regardless of which nonpooid genus functioned as outgroup; six separate analyses of all 28 pooid genera, each including one of the six nonpooid genera as outgroup, resolved five identically-constituted clades withinPooideae (in four cases), or (in the other two cases) yielded results that were less well resolved, but not in conflict with those of the other four analyses. The four best-resolved analyses distinguishedMeliceae as the earliest diverging lineage withinPooideae, andStipeae as the next. Above the point of divergence ofStipeae is a dichotomy between supertribeTriticodae (including tribesBrachypodieae, Bromeae, andTriticeae), and a clade comprisingPoeae andAveneae. The analysis supports some tribal realignments, specifically the assignment ofBriza, Chascolytrum, Microbriza, andTorreyochloa toAveneae, andArctagrostis, Catabrosa, andSesleria toPoeae. The analysis also suggests that the pooid spikelet (i.e., glumes shorter than lemmas and florets two or more) is plesiomorphic inPooideae, and that spikelets with one floret, and those with glumes longer than the first lemma, each have evolved more than once withinPooideae. Results also indicate that small chromosomes and chromosome numbers based on x=c. 10–12 are plesiomorphic withinPooideae. Alternative states of these characters (chromosomes large, chromosome numbers based on x=7) are interpreted as synapomorphies or parallelisms of clades that includeTriticodae, Aveneae, andPoeae. Lanceolate lodicule shape may be a synapomorphy of the clade that includesStipeae, Triticodae, Aveneae, andPoeae, and loss of lodicule vascularization a synapomorphy of the entirePooideae.     

Phylogenetic relationships ofSphaerophoraceae (Ascomycetes) inferred from SSU rDNA sequences

SSU rDNA was sequenced from the lichenized fungiBunodophoron scrobiculatum andLeifidium tenerum (Sphaerophoraceae), andStereocaulon ramulosum andPilophorus acicularis (Stereocaulaceae) and analysed by maximum parsimony with 44 homologous ascomycete sequences in a cladistic study. A small insertion (c. 60 nt.) was found in the sequence ofLeifidium tenerum. Sphaerophoraceae constitutes a strongly supported monophyletic group which groups together withLecanora dispersa and theStereocaulaceae. Together withPorpidia crustulata, this larger group is a sistergroup to thePeltigerineae. This analysis thus supports theLecanorales as monophyletic, includingSphaerophoraceae and thePeltigerineae, but does not provide strong support for this monophyly. The analysis also suggests that the prototunicate ascus in theSphaerophoraceae is a reversion to the plesiomorphic state. Based on morphological, anatomical and chemical reasons,Sphaerophoraceae is proposed to belong to one of the groups presently included in the paraphyletic suborderCladoniineae within theLecanorales.     

Molecular and morphological evolution in the Physciaceae (Lecanorales,lichenized Ascomycotina), with special emphasis on the genus Rinodina

Abstract:A phylogenetic hypothesis based on nuclear ITS sequence data is presented for the familyPhysciaceae , based on various representatives of foliose and fruticose groups and a number of species selected from the crustose genera Rinodina and Buellia s.l. The analysis supports the monophyly of the Physcia - and theBuellia -groups. This is in agreement with existing morphological evidence, particularly ascus characters. ThePhyscia group in the analysis includes the genera Anaptychia, Heterodermia, Hyperphyscia,Mobergia , Phaeophyscia, Phaeorrhiza, Physcia, Physconia, Rinodina, andRinodinella , while the Buellia group includes Amandinea, Buellia and Diploicia. The genera Physcia, Phaeophyscia, Phaeorrhiza and Rinodinella were well supported as monophyletic groups. The support for Physconia is low. Rinodina and Buellia are not supported as monophyletic genera. In agreement with ascus and ascospore characters, Buellia lindingeri is placed within the Rinodina group, close to R. lecanorina. The genus Amandinea as currently circumscribed was not supported as a monophyletic group. The analysis confirms results from other lichen families that foliose members have evolved more than once from crustose lichens.Rinodina and Rinodinella species without chemical compounds in their thalli form the sister group toPhaeophyscia , and both groups form a monophyletic assemblage. A more detailed analysis of the Physcia group is presented. Whilst several of the foliose genera were well supported, there is only poor support for traditionally accepted crustose genera. The taxonomic implications of these findings are discussed.     

Ultrastructure of nuclear inclusions and the separation ofVerbenaceae andOleaceae (incl.Nyctanthes)

TEM observations were carried out on 40 taxa of the familyVerbenaceae and 35 taxa of the familyOleaceae, in order to ascertain distribution, ultrastructure and morphology of the intranuclear proteinic inclusions in the mesophyll parenchymatic cells. The investigated genera amount to some 25% and 60% respectively of the genera of the two families. Inside theVerbenaceae, lamellar inclusions (L-type) occur in 6 out of 23 investigated genera: they are mostly present inside the tribesCitharexyleae andVerbeneae (both belonging toVerbenoideae), while they are absent in other subfamilies. All of the investigatedOleaceae genera show intranuclear crystalline inclusions (C 1-type) of three different shapes. Among theAsteridae this is a character peculiar toOleaceae. They appear to be a well defined natural group, including the controversial genusNyctanthes.     

Die GattungKarschia — Bindeglied zwischen bitunicaten Ascomyceten und lecanoralen Flechtenpilzen?

The genusKarschia, in the earlier sense, including saprophytes and parasites on lichens, has been thought to be a non-lichenized parallel genus of the lichen genusBuellia. Modern workers included it on the one hand inBuellia, on the other hand combined it with bitunicate ascomycetes. It is now proved thatKarschia is heterogeneous and contains but superficially similar members both of the genusBuellia of theLecanorales and of typical or masked bitunicateAscomycetes. Therefore, it can not be regarded as a link betweenLecanorales andDothideales. The type species ofKarschia belongs to theDothideales.

     

Homothallism in Sclerotinia minor

Sclerotinia species are sexually reproducing ascomycetes. In the past S. minor and S. sclerotiorum, have been assumed to be homothallic because of the self-fertility of colonies derived from single ascospores. S. trifoliorum has previously been shown to be bipolar heterothallic due to the presence of four self-fertile and four self-sterile ascospores within a single ascus [Uhm, J.Y., Fujii, H., 1983a. Ascospore dimorphism in Sclerotinia trifoliorum and cultural characters of strains from different-sized spores. Phytopathology 73: 565–569]. However, isolates of S. minor and S. sclerotiorum were proven to be homothallic ascomycetes, by self-fertility of all eight ascospores within an ascus. Apothecia were raised from all eight ascospores of a single tetrad from four isolates of S. minor and from an isolate of S. sclerotiorum, indicating that inbreeding may be the predominant breeding mechanism of S. minor. Ascospores from asci of S. minor and S. sclerotiorum were predominantly monomorphic, but rare examples of ascospore dimorphism similar to S. trifoliorum were found.     

ASCOMA ONTOGENY: IS THIS CHARACTER SET OF ANY USE IN THE SYSTEMATICS OF LICHENIZED ASCOMYCETES?

The use of ascoma ontogeny in the systematics of lichenized asco-mycetes is reviewed briefly. Two recently studied examples are discussed to illustrate the use of ontogenetic studies to discover phylogenetic relationships. As one example, theAgyriaceaewas mainly circumscribed by the ascus type and included diverse genera.Xylographais characterized by lirelliform apothecia. However, the ascoma development shares the ontogenetic pattern observed inTrapeliaand its placement in the family was confirmed. In contrast,Anamylopsoraexhibited a substantially different apothecial development and was separated as a family of its own. As a second example, theCandelariaceaeis based on chemical characters. With the detection of pulvinic acid derivatives also in the genusLecanora, the distinction of theCandelariaceaeandLecanoraceaebecame doubtful. Therefore, the ascoma ontogeny was employed to evaluate this classification and is illustrated here in detail forCandelaria fibrosa. The substantial similarity of the ascoma development found in both families suggests that both might be better united. Finally, a general discussion of the significance of ontogenetic characters in lichen taxonomy is included.     

Evolution,pollination, and systematics of the tribeNeottieae (Orchidaceae)

The various classifications of the orchid tribeNeottieae are reviewed and a new classification is proposed that divides the tribe into three subtribes,Neottiinae, Limodorinae, andCephalantherinae, based primarily on characters of the column (gynostemium). A cladistic analysis illustrates that these three subtribes are more closely related to one another than either is to any other group in subfam.Neottioideae, although there are very few apomorphic characters for the tribe. Pollination biology is also discussed showing links between breeding systems and distribution. There is also a possible role between column and labellum morphology and the emergence of a deceptive pollination syndrome from one of reward.     

A phenetic study of Cassia sensu lato (Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae: Cassieae: Cassiinae) in Thailand

Cassia L. sensu lato, a large heterogeneous genus of flowering plants, occurs naturally in the tropics around the world. Recent works based on floral morphology have supported a division of this genus into three genera, namely Cassia L. s. str., Chamaecrista Moench and Senna Mill. In order to investigate this new classification, 508 specimens of 18 taxa of the genus Cassia s.l. grown in Thailand were analyzed using cluster analysis and canonical discriminant analysis. The total 32 vegetative and reproductive morphological characters were employed in these analyses. In cluster analysis, Cassia s.l. can be separated into four groups, respectively viz. Chamaecrista, Senna alata, Senna and Cassia s /str. The four-cluster grouping is discussed. From a canonical discriminant analysis using the four-cluster grouping as a priori groups, it can be concluded that Cassia s. str., Senna, and Chamaecrista are indeed distinct taxa. The three most important characters that separate the three genera are filament length, fruit length, and ovary stalk length. These quantitative characters, together with some qualitative characters, were useful in constructing an identification key to these genera. Among the three genera, it was also found that Senna is rather a heterogeneous taxon. The difference between the studied species was discussed.