Leotia
Encyclopedia
Leotia is a genus
of cup fungi of the phylum Ascomycota
. Leotia species are globally distributed, and are believed to be saprobic. They are commonly known as jelly babies because of the gelatinous texture of their fruiting bodies.
s. Within the class Leotiomycetes
, Leotia species produce large fruiting bodies; their long-stalked apothecia bear a fertile layer of asci
that covers the upper surface of a mushroom-like cap.
Leotia is closely related to Microglossum, another genus characterized by capitate ascocarps. The species of Leotia have traditionally been defined largely by the fresh color of the ascocarps (tan in L. lubrica, olive-green in L. atrovirens, and green-headed with a yellow stalk in L. viscosa). However, a molecular phylogenetic
study revealed that color is a poor predictor of species affiliation, suggesting further study is needed to develop new, more predictive species concepts.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of cup fungi of the phylum Ascomycota
Ascomycota
The Ascomycota are a Division/Phylum of the kingdom Fungi, and subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the Sac fungi. They are the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species...
. Leotia species are globally distributed, and are believed to be saprobic. They are commonly known as jelly babies because of the gelatinous texture of their fruiting bodies.
Biology
Leotia species are characterized by their capitate ascocarpAscocarp
An ascocarp, or ascoma , is the fruiting body of an ascomycete fungus. It consists of very tightly interwoven hyphae and may contain millions of asci, each of which typically contains eight ascospores...
s. Within the class Leotiomycetes
Leotiomycetes
The Leotiomycetes are a class of ascomycete fungi. Many of them cause serious plant diseases.-Systematics:The class Leotiomycetes contains numerous species with an anamorph placed within the fungi imperfecti , that have only recently found their place in the phylogenetic system...
, Leotia species produce large fruiting bodies; their long-stalked apothecia bear a fertile layer of asci
Ascus
An ascus is the sexual spore-bearing cell produced in ascomycete fungi. On average, asci normally contain eight ascospores, produced by a meiotic cell division followed, in most species, by a mitotic cell division. However, asci in some genera or species can number one , two, four, or multiples...
that covers the upper surface of a mushroom-like cap.
Leotia is closely related to Microglossum, another genus characterized by capitate ascocarps. The species of Leotia have traditionally been defined largely by the fresh color of the ascocarps (tan in L. lubrica, olive-green in L. atrovirens, and green-headed with a yellow stalk in L. viscosa). However, a molecular phylogenetic
Phylogenetics
In biology, phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relatedness among groups of organisms , which is discovered through molecular sequencing data and morphological data matrices...
study revealed that color is a poor predictor of species affiliation, suggesting further study is needed to develop new, more predictive species concepts.