Pseudoplectania
Encyclopedia
Pseudoplectania is a genus
of fungi in the family Sarcosomataceae
. According to the Dictionary of the Fungi (10th edition, 2008), the genus contains three or four species, found in Europe and North America.
in 1870, who originally included the two species P. nigrella and P. fulgens. The latter species was removed from the genus by Pier Andrea Saccardo
in 1889, and made the type species
of his newly created genus Otidella (now considered synonymous
with Caloscypha
as described by Boudier
in 1885; P. fulgens is now Caloscypha fulgens). Saccardo added the species P. melania and P. stygia, the latter of which is thought to be synonymous with P. nigrella.
Phylogenetic analysis based on the DNA sequence
s of ribosomal RNA
suggests that Pseudoplectania groups in a clade
together with Galiella
, Plectania
, Urnula
, Sarcosoma
, and Donadinia
, and that it is most closely related to the latter genus. Pseudoplectania differs from Plectania mainly in spore shape—spherical in Pseudoplectania compared to ellipsoidal in Plectania.
The generic name means false plectania
.
of Plectania fungi grow either in groups or scattered apart, with stems or without (sessile
), and are large and fleshy. They are covered on the external surfaces with short, slender, flexuous (bendy) and often coiled or twisted hairs that sometimes give the exterior of the cup a tomentose appearance—covered with dense, matted hairs. The spore
-bearing cells, the asci
, range in shape from cylindrical to club-shaped, and they are eight-spored. The spores are perfectly spherical, smooth, and hyaline
(translucent). The paraphyses
may be either straight or curved.
, the type species
, has a worldwide distribution. Among its common name
s are the "hairy black cup".
Pseudoplectania sphagnophila resembles P. nigrella but has a more deeply and persistently cup-shaped fruit body, a short but distinct stem, and grows solely amongst sphagnum moss.
Pseudoplectania vogesiaca has fruit bodies with long stems, and is covered with a thin layer of straight or slightly flexuous hairs.
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 fungi in the family Sarcosomataceae
Sarcosomataceae
The Sarcosomataceae are a family of fungi in the order Pezizales. According to a 2008 estimate, the family contains 10 genera and 57 species. Most species are found in temperate areas, and are typically saprobic on rotten or buried wood....
. According to the Dictionary of the Fungi (10th edition, 2008), the genus contains three or four species, found in Europe and North America.
Taxonomy
The genus was first described by the German botanist FuckelKarl Wilhelm Gottlieb Leopold Fuckel
Karl Wilhelm Gottlieb Leopold Fuckel was a German botanist who worked largely on fungi.The species epithet in the binomen Botryotinia fuckeliana, a plant pathogen and the causal agent of gray mold disease, was named by mycologist Heinrich Anton de Bary in honor of Fuckel.Formerly in nations that...
in 1870, who originally included the two species P. nigrella and P. fulgens. The latter species was removed from the genus by Pier Andrea Saccardo
Pier Andrea Saccardo
Pier Andrea Saccardo was an Italian botanist and mycologist.- Life :...
in 1889, and made the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
of his newly created genus Otidella (now considered synonymous
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
with Caloscypha
Caloscypha
Caloscypha is a fungal genus in the Caloscyphaceae family . A monotypic genus, it contains the single species Caloscypha fulgens, commonly known as the spring orange peel fungus, the golden cup, or the dazzling cup...
as described by Boudier
Jean Louis Émile Boudier
Jean Louis Émile Boudier was a pharmacist who lived in Montmorency, France. He published a fair amount about the Discomycetes and other areas of mycology...
in 1885; P. fulgens is now Caloscypha fulgens). Saccardo added the species P. melania and P. stygia, the latter of which is thought to be synonymous with P. nigrella.
Phylogenetic analysis based on the DNA sequence
DNA sequence
The sequence or primary structure of a nucleic acid is the composition of atoms that make up the nucleic acid and the chemical bonds that bond those atoms. Because nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, are unbranched polymers, this specification is equivalent to specifying the sequence of...
s of ribosomal RNA
Ribosomal RNA
Ribosomal ribonucleic acid is the RNA component of the ribosome, the enzyme that is the site of protein synthesis in all living cells. Ribosomal RNA provides a mechanism for decoding mRNA into amino acids and interacts with tRNAs during translation by providing peptidyl transferase activity...
suggests that Pseudoplectania groups in a clade
Cladistics
Cladistics is a method of classifying species of organisms into groups called clades, which consist of an ancestor organism and all its descendants . For example, birds, dinosaurs, crocodiles, and all descendants of their most recent common ancestor form a clade...
together with Galiella
Galiella
Galiella is a genus of fungi in the family Sarcosomataceae. The genus is widely distributed in northern temperate regions, and according to one estimate, contains eight species.-Taxonomy:...
, Plectania
Plectania
Plectania is a genus of fungi in the Sarcosomataceae family. There are 15 species in the genus, which have a widespread distribution, especially in northern temperate areas.-External links:* at Index Fungorum...
, Urnula
Urnula
Urnula is a genus of fungi in the family Sarcosomataceae, circumscribed by Elias Magnus Fries in 1849. The genus contains six species found in Europe and North America....
, Sarcosoma
Sarcosoma
Sarcosoma is a genus of fungi in the family Sarcosomataceae. The genus, widespread in north temperate and tropical areas, contains five species. The anamorph form is the genus Verticicladium....
, and Donadinia
Donadinia
Donadinia is a genus of fungi in the family Sarcosomataceae. The genus is monotypic, containing the single species Donadinia helvelloides, found in Europe and Asia....
, and that it is most closely related to the latter genus. Pseudoplectania differs from Plectania mainly in spore shape—spherical in Pseudoplectania compared to ellipsoidal in Plectania.
The generic name means false plectania
Plectania
Plectania is a genus of fungi in the Sarcosomataceae family. There are 15 species in the genus, which have a widespread distribution, especially in northern temperate areas.-External links:* at Index Fungorum...
.
Description
The fruit bodiesAscocarp
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...
of Plectania fungi grow either in groups or scattered apart, with stems or without (sessile
Sessility (botany)
In botany, sessility is a characteristic of plants whose flowers or leaves are borne directly from the stem or peduncle, and thus lack a petiole or pedicel...
), and are large and fleshy. They are covered on the external surfaces with short, slender, flexuous (bendy) and often coiled or twisted hairs that sometimes give the exterior of the cup a tomentose appearance—covered with dense, matted hairs. The spore
Ascospore
An ascospore is a spore contained in an ascus or that was produced inside an ascus. This kind of spore is specific to fungi classified as ascomycetes ....
-bearing cells, the 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...
, range in shape from cylindrical to club-shaped, and they are eight-spored. The spores are perfectly spherical, smooth, and hyaline
Hyaline
The term hyaline denotes a substance with a glass-like appearance.-Histopathology:In histopathological medical usage, a hyaline substance appears glassy and pink after being stained with haematoxylin and eosin — usually it is an acellular, proteinaceous material...
(translucent). The paraphyses
Paraphyses
Paraphyses are part of the fertile spore-bearing layer in certain fungi. More specifically, paraphyses are sterile filamentous hyphal end cells composing part of the hymenium of Ascomycota and Basidiomycota interspersed among either the asci or basidia respectively, and not sufficiently...
may be either straight or curved.
Species
Pseudoplectania nigrellaPseudoplectania nigrella
Pseudoplectania nigrella, commonly known as the ebony cup, the black false plectania, or the hairy black cup, is a species of fungi in the family Sarcosomataceae. The fruit bodies of this saprobic fungus are small blackish cups, typically up to broad, that grow in groups on soil, often amongst...
, the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
, has a worldwide distribution. Among its common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
s are the "hairy black cup".
Pseudoplectania sphagnophila resembles P. nigrella but has a more deeply and persistently cup-shaped fruit body, a short but distinct stem, and grows solely amongst sphagnum moss.
Pseudoplectania vogesiaca has fruit bodies with long stems, and is covered with a thin layer of straight or slightly flexuous hairs.
External links
- Mushroom Observer Images