Sarcoscypha

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Sarcoscypha
Scarlet elf cap cadnant dingle.jpg
Scarlet elf cap
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Pezizomycetes
Order: Pezizales
Family: Sarcoscyphaceae
Genus: Sarcoscypha
(Fr.) Boud.

Sarcoscypha is a genus of ascomycete fungus and a type genus of the family Sarcoscyphaceae. Species of Sarcoscypha are present in Europe, North America and tropical Asia. They are characterised by a cup-shaped apothecium which is often brightly coloured. They have had a range of popular uses, one of which was as a table decoration. [1] Some members of the family such as S. coccinea and the - according to new knowledge - more common S. austriaca in western Europe and United States have bright scarlet apothecia which have given them familiar names such as the scarlet cup fungus and scarlet elf cap.

Contents

The name comes from the Greek skyphos meaning drinking bowl. [2]

Anamorphic forms were given the genus name, Molliardiomyces, but with single name nomenclature in fungi, the latter name is considered a synonym and no longer used.

Description

Species in Sarcoscypha have cup-shaped fruiting bodies (apothecia) that are typically colored bright red or yellow, although a colorless variety of S. coccinea is known. [3] Apothecia usually have a stipe, although some individuals may appear to be attached directly (i.e., sessile) to the growing surface. Asci are cylindrical in shape, thick-walled, and have an apical operculum [4] —a cover or lid that is opened prior to spore discharge.

Anamorph form

Anamorphic or imperfect fungi are those that seem to lack a sexual stage in their life cycle, and typically reproduce by the process of mitosis in structures called conidia. In some cases, the sexual stage—or teleomorph stage—is later identified, and a teleomorph-anamorph relationship is established between the species. The International Code of Botanical Nomenclature formerly permitted recognition of two (or more) names for one and the same organisms, one based on the teleomorph, the other(s) restricted to the anamorph; this practice was stopped in 2011. The anamorphic state of S. coccinea is Molliardiomyces eucoccinea, first described by Marin Molliard in 1904. [5] In 1972, John W. Paden again described the anamorph, [6] but like Molliard, failed to give a complete description of the species. In 1984, Paden created a new genus Molliardiomyces to contain the anamorphic forms of several Sarcoscypha species, with Molliardiomyces eucoccinea as the type species. This form produces colorless conidiophores (specialized stalks that bear conidia) that are usually irregularly branched, measuring 30–110 by 3.2–4.7 µm. The conidia are ellipsoidal to egg-shaped, smooth, translucent (hyaline), and 4.8–16.0 by 2.3–5.8 µm; they tend to accumulate in "mucilaginous masses". [7]

Habitat

Members of the Sarcoscyphaceae grow as saprotrophs on dead wood, and especially in the case of Sarcoscypha, on mostly damp branches or twigs of hard-wood species often in association with damp loving mosses. There is a strong association with damp places and north facing slopes. Typical locations include woods in damp stream valleys. Fruiting in most species tends to be in late winter or early spring with fruiting bodies produced on the dead wood within which the mycelium grows, although in some cases the apothecium appears to arise from amongst moss or from the leaf-litter. Because of their brilliant colour, many species are very easy to see in damp woodlands before spring growth has started.

In areas with a continental climate, fruiting bodies may be developed underneath snow and are only revealed at the thaw.

Phylogeny

S. coccinea

S. macaronesica

S. austriaca

S. humberiana

S. knixoniana

S. korfiana

S. occidentalis

S. mesocyatha

S. dudleyi

S. emarginata

S. hosoyae

Phylogeny and relationships of Sarcoscypha coccinea and related species based on ITS sequences and morphological characteristics. [4]

The phylogenetic relationships in the genus Sarcoscypha were analyzed by Francis Harrington in the late 1990s. The cladistic analysis combined comparison of sequences from the internal transcribed spacer in the non-functional RNA in addition to fifteen traditional morphological characters, such as spore features, fruit body shape, and degree of hair curliness. Based on this analysis, one major clade includes the species S. austriaca, S. macaronesica, S. knixoniana and S. humberiana, while another has S. korfiana, S. occidentalis, S. mesocyatha, S. dudleyi, S. emarginata, and S. hosoyae. S. jarvensis is sister to all these species. [4]

Species

According to the 10th edition of the Dictionary of the Fungi (2008), there are about 28 species in the genus. [8] An incomplete list follows:

The species Nanoscypha striatispora, formerly included in this list as S. striatispora, was transferred to the genus Nanoscypha to support a monophyly for Sarcoscypha. [4]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pezizales</span> Order of fungi

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<i>Sarcoscypha coccinea</i> Species of fungus

Sarcoscypha coccinea, commonly known as the scarlet elf cup, scarlet elf cap, or the scarlet cup, is a species of fungus in the family Sarcoscyphaceae of the order Pezizales. The fungus, widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, has been found in Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, and Australia. The type species of the genus Sarcoscypha, S. coccinea has been known by many names since its first appearance in the scientific literature in 1772. Phylogenetic analysis shows the species to be most closely related to other Sarcoscypha species that contain numerous small oil droplets in their spores, such as the North Atlantic island species S. macaronesica. Due to similar physical appearances and sometimes overlapping distributions, S. coccinea has often been confused with S. occidentalis, S. austriaca, and S. dudleyi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarcoscyphaceae</span> Family of fungi

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<i>Cookeina</i> Genus of fungi

Cookeina is a genus of cup fungi in the family Sarcoscyphaceae, members of which may be found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Species may be found on fallen branches of angiosperms, trunks, and sometimes on fruits. The Temuans of Peninsular Malaysia are reported to use certain species from this genus as food, and also as a bait for fishing, where it is rubbed against the hook.

<i>Scutellinia scutellata</i> Species of fungus

Scutellinia scutellata, commonly known as the eyelash cup, the Molly eye-winker, the scarlet elf cap, the eyelash fungus or the eyelash pixie cup, is a small saprophytic fungus of the genus Scutellinia. It is the type species of Scutellinia, as well as being the most common and widespread. The fruiting bodies are small red cups with distinct long, dark hairs or "eyelashes". These eyelashes are the most distinctive feature and are easily visible with a magnifying glass. The species is common in North America and Europe, and has been recorded on every continent. S. scutellata is found on rotting wood and in other damp habitats, typically growing in small groups, sometimes forming clusters. It is sometimes described as inedible, but its small size means it is not suitable for culinary use. Despite this, it is popular among mushroom hunters due to its unusual "eyelash" hairs, making it memorable and easy to identify.

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<i>Microstoma floccosum</i> Species of fungus

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<i>Wynnea</i> Genus of fungi

Wynnea is a genus of fungi in the family Sarcoscyphaceae. Circumscribed by Miles Joseph Berkeley and Moses Ashley Curtis in 1867, the genus contains seven species that have ear-shaped fruit bodies that grow on the ground. Wynnea species have a worldwide distribution and have been collected from the United States, Costa Rica, India, and China.

<i>Wynnea americana</i> Species of fungus

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<i>Sarcoscypha occidentalis</i> Species of fungus

Sarcoscypha occidentalis, commonly known as the stalked scarlet cup or the western scarlet cup, is a species of fungus in the family Sarcoscyphaceae of the Pezizales order. Fruit bodies have small, bright red cups up to 2 cm (0.8 in) wide atop a slender whitish stem that is between 1 to 3 cm long. A saprobic species, it is found growing on hardwood twigs, particularly those that are partially buried in moist and shaded humus-rich soil. The fungus is distributed in the continental United States east of the Rocky Mountains, Central America, the Caribbean, and Asia. It is distinguished from the related species S. coccinea and S. austriaca by differences in geographical distribution, fruiting season, and fruit body structure. Phylogenetic analysis has shown that it is most closely related to other Sarcoscypha species that contain large oil droplets in their spores. The species Molliardiomyces occidentalis is an imperfect form of the fungus that lacks a sexually reproductive stage in its life cycle.

<i>Sarcoscypha austriaca</i> Species of fungus

Sarcoscypha austriaca is a saprobic fungus in the family Sarcoscyphaceae of the order Pezizales of Ascomycota. It is commonly known as the scarlet elfcup, pézize écarlate and scharlachroter kelchbecherling. The species name means "from Austria".

<i>Sarcoscypha dudleyi</i> Species of fungus

Sarcoscypha dudleyi, commonly known as the crimson cup or the scarlet cup, is a species of fungus in the family Sarcoscyphaceae of the order Pezizales. In addition to its main distribution in the central to eastern United States, the fungus has also been recorded once in Bulgaria. It has been frequently confused with Sarcoscypha coccinea, but can be distinguished from this and other related species in Sarcoscypha by differences in microscopic characteristics, such as the presence and number of oil droplets in the spores. The species Molliardiomyces dudleyi is an imperfect form of the fungus that lacks a sexually reproductive stage in its life cycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fungi imperfecti</span> Fungal classification based on asexual characters when sexual reproduction is unidentified

The fungi imperfecti or imperfect fungi, are fungi which do not fit into the commonly established taxonomic classifications of fungi that are based on biological species concepts or morphological characteristics of sexual structures because their sexual form of reproduction has never been observed. They are known as imperfect fungi because only their asexual and vegetative phases are known. They have asexual form of reproduction, meaning that these fungi produce their spores asexually, in the process called sporogenesis.

Marin Molliard was a French botanist.

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<i>Arthrinium</i> Genus of fungi

Arthrinium is a genus of minute disease-causing fungi which belong to the family Apiosporaceae and which are parasitic on flowering plants such as sedges. These fungi have an anamorphic life cycle stage where spores are produced asexually in structures called conidia and a teleomorphic stage where sexual spores are produced in asci.

<i>Botryobasidium</i> Genus of fungi

Botryobasidium is a genus of corticioid fungi belonging to the order Cantharellales. Basidiocarps are ephemeral and typically form thin, web-like, white to cream, effused patches on the underside of fallen branches, logs, and leaf litter. Several species form anamorphs producing chlamydospores. All species are wood- or litter-rotting saprotrophs and the genus has a worldwide distribution.

References

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  4. 1 2 3 4 Harrington FA. (1998). "Relationships among Sarcoscypha species: evidence from molecular and morphological characters". Mycologia. 90 (2): 235–43. doi:10.2307/3761299. JSTOR   3761299.
  5. Molliard M. (1904). "Forme conidienne de Sarcoscypha coccinea (Jacq.) Cooke. Bull" [Conidial form of Sarcoscypha coccinea (Jacq.) Cooke. Bull.]. Bulletin trimestriel de la Société mycologique de France (in French). 20: 138–41.
  6. Paden JW. (1972). "Imperfect states and the taxonomy of the Pezizales". Persoonia. 6: 405–14.
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