Morphological update on Calycina marina (Pezizellaceae, Helotiales, Leotiomycetes), a new combination for Laetinaevia marina

Abstract

Abstractis a frequent ascomycetous fungus that is widely distributed on the seashores of Scandinavia and Great Britain. It grows on fronds of Fucales (Phaeophyceae) that are washed ashore and lie decaying at the high tide mark or further up on the beach. It is one of the few described marine discomycetes. In the current generic concept it is regarded as a member of Naevioideae (Dermateaceae or Mollisiaceae), while it has previously been placed in the genus

Genomic characterization of three marine fungi, including Emericellopsis atlantica sp. nov. with signatures of a generalist lifestyle and marine biomass degradation

“…The fungus C. marina is found on decaying macroalgae in the upper part of the tidal zone. The quick colonization suggests that this fungus is already present in or on the algae before it is washed ashore (Baral and Rämä 2015 ). The relation of C. marina to its algal host needs to be examined more closely to determine of it is found inside (endophyte) or on the surface (epiphyte) of the algae before it is washed ashore using for example metagenomics studies.…”

“…Isolation of C. marina TRa3180A (Class Leotiomycetes , Order Helotiales , Family Pezizellaceae ) was described in Baral and Rämä ( 2015 ). Spores from apothecia growing on decaying Ascophyllum nodosum (Class Phaeophyceae , Order Fucales , Family Fucaceae ) at the entrance to Portsmouth Harbor, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, were inoculated and isolated on 0.2SeaMEA (4 g/L malt extract agar with sterile filtered seawater) with antibiotics.…”

“…Calycina marina is a non-lichenized discomycetous fungus that is exclusively found on decaying seaweeds and has been collected all over the northern Europe (Baral and Rämä 2015 ; GBIF Secretariat 2021 ). Calycina marina is unique in both habitat, substrate and morphology compared to its closest relatives in Calycina that are terrestrial species (Baral and Rämä 2015 ). It is also peculiar in the sense that it is one of the few marine discomycetes compared to the terrestrial environment with hundreds of discomycetous species.…”

Fungal Planet description sheets: 951–1041

“…Other species similar to C. alstrupii such as C. venceslai and C. langida can be found in the same locality, but they have different spore dimensions and lack the beige-brown to bluish brown tones when dry (Suija & Motiejūnaitė 2017). The putative phylogenetic relationship with C. marina is not supported by any shared ecological or morphological trait, since C. marina fruits over seaweed, develops pulvinate ascocarps, has spores 8 -13 × 3.3 -4(-4.5), and claviform to capitate multiseptate paraphyses (Baral & Rämä 2015).…”

Phylogenetic Advances in Leotiomycetes, an Understudied Clade of Taxonomically and Ecologically Diverse Fungi

“…However, based on environmental studies, we know that Leotiomycetes, such as the psychrophilic Pseudogymnoascus (Rosa et al, 2019) and the mycorrhizal symbiont of moss, Rhizoscyphus, are dominant members of polar environments (de Hoog et al, 2005;Bridge and Spooner, 2012;Rosa et al, 2019). Culture-based studies have isolated Leotiomycetes from marine (Baral and Rämä 2015;Fryar et al, 2019) and a multitude of freshwater aquatic environments (Baschien et al, 2013;Tsui et al, 2016). The so-called Dark Septate Endophytes, most of which are Leotiomycetes, can be dominant in Alpine ecosystems.…”