You are here
All Fungi
Kirschsteiniothelia atra
Nomenclature
-
Family: KirschsteiniotheliaceaeGenus: Kirschsteiniothelia
SUMMARY
Anamorph: colonies effuse, black, hairy. Mycelium mostly immersed, stromata absent, setae and hyophopodia absent. Conidiomata and synnemata absent. Conidiophores clearly differentiated from vegetative hyphae, branched at the apex forming a distinct stip and head. Stipe to 500 µm long and 8-11 µm thick, straight or flexuous, mid to dark brown, smooth, the branches 6-9 µm diam., less strongly pigmented, smooth. Conidiogenous cells a the terminal cells of the conidiophore branches, tretic, not or percurrently proliferating. Conidia 40-80 x 12-25 µm, pale to dark brown or olivaceous, with two or more transverse septa, very thick-walled, smooth, without an epispore, gelatinous sheath or appendages.
Teleomorph: ascostromata arising singly or in small groups, scattered, colonies not delimited, (200-) 300-600 (-700) µm diam., ± superficial except at the base which can remain immersed, hemispherical to subglobose, the base slightly to strongly applanate, black. Ostiole short papilliform or ± plane. Peridium (30-) 40-60 (-70) µm thick, composed of dark brown thick-walled subglobose to polyhedral cells, mainly 5-8 µm diam., the outermost more deeply pigmented with thicker walls and sometimes with the lumina becoming occluded. Basal tissue similar in structure to the sides of the ascoma, very variable in the extent of development, mainly 20-40 µm thick, the cells becoming vertically orientated and pallisade-like in the angles of the ascomatal cavity, and then to 10-15 µm long. Interascal tissue composed of cellular pseudoparaphyses 2-3.5 µm diam., persistent, abundant, regularly septate, branched and anastomosing, the centrum sometimes turning blue in iodine. Asci (60-) 70-90 (-120) x 12-15 (-20) µm, broadly ± cylindrical to cylindric-clavate, short-stalked, fissitunicate, 4- or 8-spored. Ascospores arranged biseriately, (21-) 25-33 (-38) x (7.5-) 8.5-12 (-14) µm, ellipsoidal, rounded or somewhat constricted at the apices, 1-septate, the upper cell usually larger in size, somewhat constricted at the septum, brown, sometimes appearing almost smooth but at high magnification a delicate verruculose ornamentation is evident, not guttulate, epispore absent, lacking a distinct gelatinous sheath when mature.