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Amylocarpus encephaloides currey, a marine fungus new to Ireland
Volume 8, Part 2, May 1994
AMYLOCARPUS ENCEPHALO/DES CURREY, A MARINE FUNGUS NEW TO IRELAND BRID CRUMLISH & PHILOMENA CURRAN Department of Botany, University College, Galway, Ireland Amylocarpus encephaloides Currey, a marine ascomycete fungus, was found on driftwood collected from the beach at Ballinacourty, Ring, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, Ireland. This is the first record of Amylocarpus encephaloides Currey from Ireland; identity was confirmed by Professor E.B.G. Jones (pers. comm.,) of the University of Portsmouth who suggested the fungus likes reduced saline conditions. Currey (1857-59) provided a brief description of A. encephaloides which was later supplemented by Lindau in 1899 (Cavaliere, 1966). This fungus was found in the U.S. in the San Juan Island (Washington) area by Kohlmeyer (1960) and described by him as Plectolitus acanthosporum; this name was later (Kohlmeyer, 1961) reduced to synonymy with Currey's species. Johnson (1963) reported the fungus on wood which was submerged in the sea, on driftwood and on wood wedged among shoreline rocks and covered by the sea at high tide. Kohlmeyer (1960) reported the fungus only from driftwood lying above the normal high tide line, as had Lindau. Currey collected the fungus on woodfound on beach sands (Johnson, 1963). Kohlmeyer & Kohlmeyer (1979) list a range of locations, from shores of the Atlantic (including Great Britain) and Pacific Oceans and give a detailed description of ascomata, asci and ascospores. According to Kohlmeyer & Kohlmeyer (1979), A. encephaloides produces some of the largest ascomata found in the marine environment; they state that this fungus decays wood by eroding the cell wall from the lumen, dissolving first the tertiary wall, then the secondary wall and finally leaving only a skeleton of middle lamellae; A. encephaloides does not produce typical soft-rot cavities in the Szlayer of the secondary cell wall. Amylocarpus encephaloides is a marine representative of the Eurotiales; Kohlmeyer & Kohlmeyer (1979) reported that it shows no relationship to the primary marine ascomycetes and they
proposed that it developed from terrestrial ancestors. This opinion was based on the nonperithecial ascomata, on the absence of a central pseudoparenchyma, on the irregular dispersal of the asci throughout the ascoma, on the sabrobic trait and on the restriction of the species to the high-water line. They point out that this species is morphologically adapted to the aquatic habit as ascospores of A. encephaloides are provided with spines. Jones (1976) pointed out that while the appendages of some marine fungi have an adhesive function, it is doubtful if the appendages of A. encephaloides have such a function; however, they may help to entangle spores to suitable substrata. Ascomata found on driftwood from the south coast of Ireland were 0.3-1.5 mm high, 0.5-2.0 mm in diameter; globose or subglobose; superficial; light yellow in colour; surface soft, smooth, waxy; thick peridium, nonostiolate (cleistothecial); solitary or in groups of two-four (Fig. 1). Asci 30-37.6 x 20.5-26.0 urn; broadly ellipsoidal, apiculate, pedunculate; eight-spored; deliquescing at ascospore maturity. Ascospores 9.5-14.2 urn in diameter (excluding appendages); globose or ovoid; one-celled, containing one large oil globule; hyaline; slender, rigid spine-like appendages, 5-10 x 1.0 urn, distributed over the ascospore surface. (Fig. 2).
References Cavaliere, A.R. (1966). Marine Ascomycetes: Ascocarp morphology and its application to taxonomy. 1. Amylocarpus Currey, Ceriosporella gen. nov., Lindra Wilson. Nova Hedwigia 10: 387-398. Johnson, T.W. Jr. (1963). Some aspects of morphology in marine Ascomycetes: Amylocarpus Currey, Herpotrichiella Petrak and Torpedospora Meyers. Nova Hedwigia 6: 157-170. Jones, E.B.G. (1976). Lignicolous and algicolous fungi. In Recent Advances in Aquatic Mycology. (KB.G. Jones, ed.): 1-51. Elek Science, London. Kohlmeyer, J. (1960). Wood-inhabiting marine fungi from the Pacific Northwest and California. Nova
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F ig 1 Globose yellow a scomata of Amyl ocarpus encephaloides on the surface of wood . Bar = 1 mm.
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Fig 2 Asci of A. encep haloides containing ascospores and mature liberated ascospores with appendages (a rrowed). Unstained. Bar = 10 urn.
Hedwigia 2: 293-343. Kohlmeyer, J . (1961). Pilze von der nordlichen Pazifik-Kuste der USA. Nova Hedwigia 3: 80-86.
Kohlmeyer, J. & Kohlmeyer, E. (1979). Marine Mycology. The Higher Fungi. Academic Press. New York and London.
AMYLOCARPUS ENCEPHALO/DES CURREY, A MARINE FUNGUS NEW TO IRELAND BRID CRUMLISH & PHILOMENA CURRAN Department of Botany, University College, Galway, Ireland Amylocarpus encephaloides Currey, a marine ascomycete fungus, was found on driftwood collected from the beach at Ballinacourty, Ring, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, Ireland. This is the first record of Amylocarpus encephaloides Currey from Ireland; identity was confirmed by Professor E.B.G. Jones (pers. comm.,) of the University of Portsmouth who suggested the fungus likes reduced saline conditions. Currey (1857-59) provided a brief description of A. encephaloides which was later supplemented by Lindau in 1899 (Cavaliere, 1966). This fungus was found in the U.S. in the San Juan Island (Washington) area by Kohlmeyer (1960) and described by him as Plectolitus acanthosporum; this name was later (Kohlmeyer, 1961) reduced to synonymy with Currey's species. Johnson (1963) reported the fungus on wood which was submerged in the sea, on driftwood and on wood wedged among shoreline rocks and covered by the sea at high tide. Kohlmeyer (1960) reported the fungus only from driftwood lying above the normal high tide line, as had Lindau. Currey collected the fungus on woodfound on beach sands (Johnson, 1963). Kohlmeyer & Kohlmeyer (1979) list a range of locations, from shores of the Atlantic (including Great Britain) and Pacific Oceans and give a detailed description of ascomata, asci and ascospores. According to Kohlmeyer & Kohlmeyer (1979), A. encephaloides produces some of the largest ascomata found in the marine environment; they state that this fungus decays wood by eroding the cell wall from the lumen, dissolving first the tertiary wall, then the secondary wall and finally leaving only a skeleton of middle lamellae; A. encephaloides does not produce typical soft-rot cavities in the Szlayer of the secondary cell wall. Amylocarpus encephaloides is a marine representative of the Eurotiales; Kohlmeyer & Kohlmeyer (1979) reported that it shows no relationship to the primary marine ascomycetes and they
proposed that it developed from terrestrial ancestors. This opinion was based on the nonperithecial ascomata, on the absence of a central pseudoparenchyma, on the irregular dispersal of the asci throughout the ascoma, on the sabrobic trait and on the restriction of the species to the high-water line. They point out that this species is morphologically adapted to the aquatic habit as ascospores of A. encephaloides are provided with spines. Jones (1976) pointed out that while the appendages of some marine fungi have an adhesive function, it is doubtful if the appendages of A. encephaloides have such a function; however, they may help to entangle spores to suitable substrata. Ascomata found on driftwood from the south coast of Ireland were 0.3-1.5 mm high, 0.5-2.0 mm in diameter; globose or subglobose; superficial; light yellow in colour; surface soft, smooth, waxy; thick peridium, nonostiolate (cleistothecial); solitary or in groups of two-four (Fig. 1). Asci 30-37.6 x 20.5-26.0 urn; broadly ellipsoidal, apiculate, pedunculate; eight-spored; deliquescing at ascospore maturity. Ascospores 9.5-14.2 urn in diameter (excluding appendages); globose or ovoid; one-celled, containing one large oil globule; hyaline; slender, rigid spine-like appendages, 5-10 x 1.0 urn, distributed over the ascospore surface. (Fig. 2).
References Cavaliere, A.R. (1966). Marine Ascomycetes: Ascocarp morphology and its application to taxonomy. 1. Amylocarpus Currey, Ceriosporella gen. nov., Lindra Wilson. Nova Hedwigia 10: 387-398. Johnson, T.W. Jr. (1963). Some aspects of morphology in marine Ascomycetes: Amylocarpus Currey, Herpotrichiella Petrak and Torpedospora Meyers. Nova Hedwigia 6: 157-170. Jones, E.B.G. (1976). Lignicolous and algicolous fungi. In Recent Advances in Aquatic Mycology. (KB.G. Jones, ed.): 1-51. Elek Science, London. Kohlmeyer, J. (1960). Wood-inhabiting marine fungi from the Pacific Northwest and California. Nova
•
•
F ig 1 Globose yellow a scomata of Amyl ocarpus encephaloides on the surface of wood . Bar = 1 mm.
2
-
Fig 2 Asci of A. encep haloides containing ascospores and mature liberated ascospores with appendages (a rrowed). Unstained. Bar = 10 urn.
Hedwigia 2: 293-343. Kohlmeyer, J . (1961). Pilze von der nordlichen Pazifik-Kuste der USA. Nova Hedwigia 3: 80-86.
Kohlmeyer, J. & Kohlmeyer, E. (1979). Marine Mycology. The Higher Fungi. Academic Press. New York and London.