Torpedospora Meyers, Mycologia 49: 496 (1957)
MycoBank number: MB 5501; Index Fungorum number: IF 5501; Facesoffungi number: FoF 02141; 3 morphological species (Species Fungorum 2020), 2 species with sequence data.
Type species – Torpedospora radiata Meyers
Notes – Torpedospora is characterised by torpedo-like, cylindrical to elongate-ellipsoidal ascospores, together with the radiating appendages at one or both ends. This genus comprises three species, T. ambispinosa, T. mangrovei, and T. radiata (type). Molecular studies by Sakayaroj et al. (2005), Schoch et al. (2007), Abdel Wahab et al. (2010) and Jones et al. (2015) showed that they group in the same clade with high bootstrap support, which suggest that they are congeneric. A study by Abdel-Wahab et al. (2018) also supported this.
Figure 249 – Torpedospora radiata (Material examined – Taiwan, Keelung City, Chaojing Park, rocky shore, on driftwood, 3 October 2014, K.L. Pang). a Section of immersed ascoma. b Clavate ascus. c Cylindrical ascospore with unipolar appendages and three septa. d Scanning electron micrograph of the ascospore. Scale bars: a = 20 µm, b, c = 5 µm.
Figure 250 – Torpedospora mangrovei. (Material examined – JAPAN, Okinawa, Naha, Gesashi Bay Mangrove, 26°12′N, 127°37 E, on decayed driftwood in the intertidal zone, 17 July 2008, M.A. Abdel-Wahab, IMI 397963, holotype; ex-type strain, MF1019, NBRC 105264). a-i Conidia at different stages of development. Scale bars: a-i = 5 µm.
Species