Thielavia terrestris (Apinis) Malloch & Cain, Can. J. Bot.

Melo, Roger Fagner Ribeiro, Maia, Leonor Costa & Miller, Andrew Nicholas, 2017, Coprophilous ascomycetes with passive ascospore liberation from Brazil, Phytotaxa 295 (2), pp. 159-172 : 167

10. Thielavia terrestris (Apinis) Malloch & Cain, Can. J. Bot. 50(1): 66 (1972)

( Plate 1 , Fig. 25–26)

Ascomata non-ostiolate, gregarious, rarely scattered, semi immersed to superficial, subglobose to globose, dark brown to black, 175–200 μm diam., glabrous. Peridium pseudoparenchymatous, membranaceous, opaque, composed of large, elongated (textura epidermoidea), thin-walled, dark brown cells. Asci 8-spored, ovoid to irregularly clavate, 15–22.5 × 2–4 μm, evanescent. Ascospores 1-celled, ovoid, non-apiculated, smooth, hyaline to brown, copper colored “en masse”, 3.5–4.5 × 3–4 μm, with a single apical germ pore.

Material examined: — BRAZIL. Pernambuco, Instituto Agronômico de Pernambuco ( IPA), Caruaru, on cattle dung, 27 Oct 2012, R. F. R. Melo ( URM 86717!). Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco ( UFRPE), Recife, on cattle dung, 27 Jun 2012, R. F. R. Melo ( URM 86718a!, 86718b!).

Habitat: —Recorded on soil, plant material and herbivore dung.

Distribution: —Worldwide.

Notes:—Representatives of Thielavia can be found forming dark-colored, glabrous to hairy cleistothecia, usually with pigmented ascospores, commonly found on soil and plant material. Thielavia terrestris can be easily recognized by its glabrous cleistothecia and uncommonly small ascospores (3.5–4.5 × 3–4 μm) that are ovoid and hyaline to weakly pigmented.

Figures

PLATE 1. Coprophilous ascomycetes with passive ascospore liberation recorded in Brazil. Corynascus sepedonium 1. Ascoma, 2. peridium, 3. ascospores and 4. conidium. Kernia nitida 5. Ascoma on dung and 6. hair tip. Leuconeurospora pulcherrima 7. Ascoma, 8. peridium and 9. ascospores. Lophotrichus bartlettii 10. Ascoma on dung, 11. mounted and 12. asci. Melanospora damnosa 13. Ascoma on dung and 14. mounted. M. zamiae 15. Ascoma in mounting and 16. ascospores. Monascus ruber 17. Ascoma in mounting. Mycoarachis inversa 18. Ascoma on incubation paper and 19. mounted, 20. asci and 21. ascospores. Pseudoallescheria boydii 22. Ascoma in mounting, 23. ascus and 24. mature ascospores. Thielavia terrestris 25. Ascomata on dung. 26. mature ascospores. Tripterosporella pakistani 27. Ascoma in mounting, 28. ascus and 29. mature ascospore. Zopfiella erostrata 30. Cleistothecium in mounting. Z. longicaudata 31. Cleistothecium in mounting. Scale bars: 1, 6, 9, 16, 17=10 μm. 2, 21= 2.5 μm. 3, 4, 20, 22, 23, 24, 26= 5 μm. 5=200 μm. 7, 11, 14=50 μm. 8, 12, 13= 20 μm. 15, 18=100 μm. 19=25 μm. 10, 25= 300 μm. Figure: R.F.R. Melo.