Lechat C., Fournier J., Vega M., Priou J.-P.
Vol. 10 (2) – 22 April 2018
doi: 10.25664/art-0233
Open Access
Abstract: Geonectria subalpina gen. and sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on three collections on soil from subalpine zone in the French Alps. The genus is placed in the Bionectriaceae based on morphological characteristics of the sexual morph and phylogenetic comparison of LSU sequences with species in 14 genera in the Bionectriaceae. Geonectria is primarily characterized by subglobose, nonstromatic, orange ascomata, becoming brownish orange, laterally collapsing or not collapsing when dry, roughened in upper half by superficial, scattered clusters of evanescent yellow hyphae, ellipsoidal to widely fusiform, 1-septate, finely longitudinally striate ascospores and habitat on soil in subalpine zone. It is recognized as a distinct genus by its peculiar ecology and its isolated phylogenetic position within the Bionectriaceae
In the course of a survey of Ascomycota in the French Alps in late August 2017, initiated by Ascomycete.org, a distinctive taxon characterized by non-stromatic, subglobose, orange ascomata and striate ascospores was repeatedly collected on soil in the subalpine zone.