Triblidiaceae Rehm, Rabenh. Krypt.-Fl. ed. 2 (Leipzig), Band 1, Abth. 3: 191 (1888) emend. Karakehian

Karakehian, Jason M., Quijada, Luis, Friebes, Gernot, Tanney, Joey B. & Pfister, Donald H., 2019, Placement of Triblidiaceae in Rhytismatales and comments on unique ascospore morphologies in Leotiomycetes (Fungi, Ascomycota), MycoKeys 54, pp. 99-133 : 99

Triblidiaceae Rehm, Rabenh. Krypt.-Fl. ed. 2 (Leipzig), Band 1, Abth. 3: 191 (1888) emend. Karakehian Figs 1, 3, clade A

Type genus.

Triblidium Rebentisch: Fries, Index pl. berol.: 40 (1805); Syst. mycol. [Index]: 193 (1832).

Included genera.

Triblidium and Huangshania .

Position in classification.

Triblidiaceae , Rhytismatales , Leotiomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota.

Description of Triblidiaceae .

Ascomata apothecia, scattered or in small clusters, primarily on bark of living or dead trees but occasionally also on decorticated wood, substratum not visibly degraded, without dark zone lines (Fig. 1a, b, e–g); primordia developing within the substratum, gradually emerging becoming superficial; young apothecia closed, pulvinate; excipulum stromatic and highly melanized (Fig. 1c, m), surface appearing dark brown-black, highly sculptured with coarse, polygonal areolae or ± cracked (Fig. 1a, b, f, g); in early developmental stages the monolocular centrum consists of paraphysoids (cf. Eriksson 1992: 5, fig. 5) that are replaced by paraphyses; apothecia rupturing the covering layer before full maturity (hemiangiocarpous) by several radial cracks, opening in humid conditions and closing when dry (Fig. 1a, b, f, g), persistent; approximately 0.6-1 mm high and 1-3 mm diameter; disk generally pale gray or brown or pale orange in some species (Fig. 1b, g). Asci elongate-cylindrical; apices ± hemispherical, undifferentiated, thin-walled, iodine negative (Fig. 1k, l, n, o), dehiscence via apical rupture; dehisced asci often with fine, transverse striations (Fig. 1u); spore number variable, generally 4-8 (Fig. 1c, d, n). Paraphyses narrow, filiform, apices flexuous, sparingly branched, hyaline, embedded in gel, lacking pigmented epithecium/exudate. Ascospores large, hyaline, ellipsoid to oblong-ellipsoid, muriform, smooth ( Triblidium ) or elongate-fusiform, transversely septate, smooth (in H. novae-fundlandiae ) or coarsely verrucose (in H. verrucosa ), iodine negative, appearing thick-walled when dead, lacking a gelatinous sheath (Fig. 1 h–j, p–t). Anamorph unknown. Trophic status: presumed saprobes on woody plant hosts in Fagaceae , Ericaceae and Pinaceae . Distribution: mostly known from Northern Hemisphere, boreal and temperate forests (emended from Magnes 1997).