Australasian truffle-like Fungi, II.* Labyrinthomyces, Dingleya and Reddellomyces gen. nov. (Ascomycotina)

Abstract

Re-examination of species ascribed to the genus Labyrinthomyces plus our collections of related undescribed taxa revealed three distinct morphological groups which we segregate at the generic level. All have globose to ellipsoid spores ornamented with amorphous, hyaline warts or ridges. Labyrinthomyces is retained as a monotypic genus characterised by a brown-tomentose peridium and paraphyses half as long as the asci. Dingleya contains six species (two newly described here) with tessellate-cracked to verrucose peridia. Reddellomyces has four species (one newly described) with white to pale brown, smooth peridia. The last two genera are known only from Australasia.*Part I, Aust. Syst. Bot., 1990, 3, 653–70.

Desert Truffles of the Australian Outback: Ecology, Ethnomycology, and Taxonomy

“…These thin-walled cells are able to absorb water rapidly and are integral to spore dispersal (see comments on spore dispersal of Kalahari truffles in the companion piece in this issue, Trappe et al 2008). Although no field experiments have yet been conducted with Australian desert truffles, their structural similarity to northern African and Kalahari truffles suggests similar spore dispersal strategies (Awameh andAlsheikh 1979, 1980;Beaton and Weste 1982;Kagan-Zur et al 1999;Roth-Bejerano et al 2004;Thomson 1975).…”

“…The Australian species, like desert truffles elsewhere, feature an abundance of large, inflated, thin-walled cells in the peridium and gleba (Alsheikh 1994;Alsheikh and Trappe 1983;Trappe 1990;Trappe and Weber 2001). These thin-walled cells are able to absorb water rapidly and are integral to spore dispersal (see comments on spore dispersal of Kalahari truffles in the companion piece in this issue, Trappe et al 2008).…”

“…Of the seven species discussed in this paper, only Reddellomyces westraliensis is not restricted to desert habitat, occurring also in dry sclerophyll woodlands of Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales (Trappe et al 1992). The other six species appear to be restricted to genuinely arid habitats.…”

“…The use of desert truffles by Aborigines of central Australia has been documented since the late 19th Century, though the tradition probably goes back for millennia (Trappe 1990). The Aborigines, like other desert-dwelling societies worldwide, are notable for their ability to survive in extreme desert conditions, and for their intimate understanding of the environment and its biota.…”

Analysis of plant microfossils in prehistoric coprolites from Harataonga Bay, Great Barrier Island, New Zealand

“…Monolete fern spore Type 1 and a spore type tentatively identified as being from a truffle (hypogeous Ascomycotina) dominate the pollen sum of all four samples. This putative truffle spore Type 1 resembles those of the Australasian truffle genera Labyrinthomyces, Dingleya, and Reddellomyces but is not identifiable to any known species (Trappe et al 1992). A representative slide of the species (#REB 1972) is deposited in herbarium PDD at Landcare Research, Auckland, New Zealand.…”