Bryopelta variabilis Döbbeler & Poelt, Mitt. bot. StSamml., Münch. 14: 126 (1978)
MycoBank number: MB 309973; Index Fungorum number: IF 309973; Facesoffungi number: FoF 11244; (Fig. 2)
Colonies superficial on upper superface of lichen. Sexual state: Ascomata 100–120 µm diam., 100–130 µm high, pseudothecium solitary, gregarious or confluent, immersed or semi-immersed, globose to subglobose, thick-walled, centrally ostiolate, papillate. Ostiole 20 µm wide, well-developed, filled with periphyses, hyaline to dark brown. Peridium 16–25 µm wide, comprising 10–15 layers, with outer 6–9 layers of reddish-brown cells, inner 2–3 layers comprising hyaline, thick-walled cells of textura angularis to textura porrecta. Hamathecium of dense 1–1.5 µm wide, filamentous, hyaline, septate, unbranched, anastomosing pseudoparaphyses. Asci 30–45 × 7–10.5 µm ( x = 37 × 9 µm; n = 10), 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindrical to fusiform, obtuse at the tip, narrow and short-pedicillate at the base, with an ocular chamber, slightly curved. Ascospores 9–12.5 × 2–4 µm ( x = 11 × 3 µm; n = 10), multi-seriate, crowded, ellipsoid to ovoid, 1-septate, sometimes 1–3-septate (Döbbeler et al. 1978), slightly constricted at the septum, hyaline, smooth-walled. Asexual state: hyphomycetous, forming 40–120 × 15–20 µm,
black synnemata, with conidiophores directly arising from the basal layers, brown. Conidia hyaline, narrow- ellipsoid (Döbbeler et al. 1978).
Material examined:—SWEDEN. Torne: on the moor of Nw-Ufer, Rens jön track to train station, about 50 km, 480 m, 22 August 1972, J. Poelt & P. Döbbeler (GZU 000302175!, holotype).
Notes:—Bryopelta was introduced by Döbbeler & Poelt (1978) as a monotypic genus, and is typified by Bryopelta variabilis. The genus was assigned to Pleosporaceae (Döbbeler 1978). Subsequently, Lumbsch & Huhndorf (2010) referred this genus to Dothideomycetes genera incertae sedis. It is placed in Dothideomycetes, genera incertae sedis in Index Fungrum (2014). In MycoBank (2014) it is accommodated in the order Dothideales. Typically, the genus is characterized by erumpent ascomata at maturity, with peridium cells of textura angularis to textura porrecta, and ascospores generally 1-septate and rarely 1–3-septate (Döbbeler et al. 1978). Döbbeler & Poelt (1978) introduced and described the asexual stage of Bryopelta variabilis as an hyphomycete.
The genus resembles Mycosphaerellaceae in ascus and ascospore form but the peridium is thicker than other genera in the family (Hyde et al. 2013). Examination of the genus Bryopelta revealed the presence of interthecial filaments between asci, which are also unusual, confusing and leading conflict with the general family concept. Bryopelta, however, shares similarities with Sphaerellothecium, a lichenicolous ascomycete, which is usually considered a member of the Mycosphaerellaceae (Lumbsch & Huhndorf 2010, Hyde et al. 2013). Bryopelta and Sphaerellothecium both have solitary, scattered, papillate ascomata, bitunicate, cylindrical to fusiform asci, 1- septate, hyaline, asymmetrical, fusiform ascospores and hamathecium comprising filamentous pseudoparaphyses between asci. However, Bryopelta differs from Sphaerellothecium in peridium structure (red-brown, thick-walled cells arranged as textura angularis to textura porrecta in Bryopelta versus brown, thin-walled cells arranged as textura angularis in Sphaerellothecium). The family has numerous lichenicolous genera which are morphologically similar in the presence of pseudoparaphyses between asci (Hyde et al. 2013), Based on the combination of the above characters, we add genus Bryopelta in the family Mycosphaerellaceae, incertae sedes. Presently there are no molecular data available for Bryopelta. By providing a detailed description and illustration we hope the genus will be recognised in future studies.
We did not observe the asexual state and its description is based on the original (Döbbeler & Poelt 1978).
Species