Eckstein J., Janošík L., Kristiansen R.
Vol. 16 (3) – 15 juin 2024
doi: 10.25664/art-0391
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Abstract: The bryophilous ascomycete Octospora schumacheri is described as a new species based on a collection from Breheimen National Park, Norway. It grows on the complex thalloid liverwort Asterella lindenbergiana and is delineated by stiff hairs covering the receptacle, and broadly ellipsoid ascospores ornamented by prominent irregularly shaped warts with internal cavities. This is the first account of A. lindenbergiana as a host of bryophilous ascomycetes. Phylogenetic analyses of LSU rDNA sequences shows that the new species belongs to a species rich Octospora lineage consisting mostly of species with ornamented ascospores. Neottiella ricciae, another hepaticolous species with stiff marginal hairs, was resolved as the closest relative of O. schumacheri.
Octospora is one of the largest genera of Pyronemataceae (Pezizales) with 50 to almost 200 known species, depending on a narrow or wide taxonomic circumscription. The genus is delineated by small apothecia containing carotenoid pigments and, most notably, a bryophilous lifestyle. The species in this group are highly host specific […]