The genus Thecotheus (Pezizales) in Australia: T. urinamans sp. nov. from urea-treated jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest

Abstract

The genus Thecotheus is reported in Australia for the first time. A new species, Thecotheus urinamans is described and illustrated and included in a key to all known species of the genus. Critical macro- and micromorphological comparisons are presented to distinguish the new species from several closely related species, particularly the widespread fungus Thecotheus crustaceus. Thecotheus urinamans was growing on rotting, moist, plant litter from an experimental plot treated with urea (ammonia) in the indigenous jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest of Western Australia.

Experimental and physiological ecology of ammonia fungi: studies using natural substrates and artificial media

“…As previously described, the mycobiota of ammonia fungi has been examined by application of substances such as aqueous ammonia, ammonium salts yielding alkalinity in soil, and urea in different vegetation types (Sagara 1975;Suzuki 1992Suzuki , 2000aFukiharu and Hongo 1995;Yamanaka 1995a-c;Fukiharu and Horigome 1996;Fukiharu et al 1997;Sato and Suzuki 1997;Imamura 2001;Suzuki et al 2002a;Nagao et al 2003;He and Suzuki 2004;Imamura and Yumoto 2004) as well as by chemical treatment of substrates in the laboratory level (Sagara 1975(Sagara , 1976a(Sagara ,c, 1992Fukiharu and Horigome 1996;Suzuki et al 2002a;Suzuki 2004). The litter bag method is appropriate for field analysis of the litter decomposition capabilities of microorganisms (Robertson and Paul 2000;Wall and Reichman 2000), although inevitably the method involves disturbance when the bags are embedded in soil and restrict the movement of soil animals.…”