Sarcoscypha occidentalis

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Sarcoscypha occidentalis
Sarcoscypha occidentalis 46129.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Pezizomycetes
Order: Pezizales
Family: Sarcoscyphaceae
Genus: Sarcoscypha
Species:
S. occidentalis
Binomial name
Sarcoscypha occidentalis
(Schwein.) Sacc. (1889)
Synonyms [1]
  • Peziza occidentalisSchwein. (1832)
  • Geopyxis occidentalis(Schwein.) Morgan (1902)
  • Plectania occidentalis(Schwein.) Seaver (1928)
Sarcoscypha occidentalis
Information icon.svg
Smooth icon.pngSmooth hymenium
No cap icon.svgNo distinct cap
NA cap icon.svg Hymenium attachment is irregular or not applicable
Bare stipe icon.svg Stipe is bare
Saprotrophic fungus.svgEcology is saprotrophic
Mycomorphbox Question.pngEdibility is unknown

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. Phylogenetic analysis has shown that it is most closely related to other Sarcoscypha species that contain large oil droplets in their spores. S. occidentalis has an imperfect form (reproducing asexually), classified as Molliardiomyces occidentalis.

Contents

The fruit bodies have small, bright red cups up to 2 cm (3⁄4 in) wide atop a slender whitish stem up to 1 cm (1⁄2 in) long. The species is distinguished from the related S. coccinea and S. austriaca by differences in distribution, fruiting season, and structure. The fungus can be found in North America and Asia. A saprobic species, it is found growing on hardwood twigs, particularly those that are partially buried in moist and shaded humus-rich soil.

Taxonomy

The fungus, originally collected from Muskingum County, Ohio, was named Peziza occidentalis by Lewis David de Schweinitz in 1832. [2] It was assigned its current name by Pier Andrea Saccardo in 1888. [3] Andrew Price Morgan renamed the species Geopyxis occidentalis in 1902 because of a perceived similarity with Geopyxis hesperidea , [4] but the name change was not adopted by subsequent authors. In 1928, Fred Jay Seaver overturned Saccardo's naming and applied the name Plectania to Sarcoscypha coccinea and other red cup fungi. [5] In later taxonomic revisions, Richard P. Korf reinstated the genus name Sarcoscypha . [6] [7]

Phylogeny

The phylogenetic relationships in the genus Sarcoscypha were analyzed by Francis Harrington in the late 1990s. [8] [9] The cladistic analysis combined comparison of sequences from the internal transcribed spacer in the non-functional RNA with fifteen traditional morphological characters, such as spore features, fruit body shape, and degree of hair curliness. Based on this analysis, S. occidentalis is part of a clade of evolutionarily related taxa that includes the species S. dudleyi , S. emarginata , S. hosoyae , S. korfiana and S. mesocyatha . [8] All of these species contain large oil droplets in their spores, in contrast to the other major clade of Sarcoscypha (containing the type species S. coccinea), characterized by having smaller, more numerous droplets. [9] The species most closely related to S. occidentalis is S. mesocyatha, known only from Hawaii. [10]

S. coccinea and four other Sarcoscypha spp.

S. korfiana

S. occidentalis

S. mesocyatha

S. dudleyi

S. emarginata

S. hosoyae

Phylogeny and relationships of S. occidentalis and related species based on ITS sequences and morphological characteristics. [8]

Subdivision

A Jamaican variety has been named (as Plectania occidentalis var. jamaicensis); it has a pinker hymenium. [11]

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 permits the recognition of two (or more) names for one and the same organisms, one based on the teleomorph, the other(s) restricted to the anamorph.

The anamorphic state of S. occidentalis is Molliardiomyces occidentalis, described by John W. Paden. This form produces smooth, colorless conidiophores (specialized stalks that bear conidia) measuring 20–230 by 2–3.2 µm. The conidia are roughly spherical to ovoid, smooth, translucent (hyaline), and 4.6–7.0 by 3.0–3.8 µm. [12]

Etymology

The specific epithet occidentalis, derived from the Latin word for "western", may refer to the distribution of the species in the Western Hemisphere. It is commonly known as the stalked scarlet cup [13] or the western scarlet cup. [14]

Description

Depending on their age, the fruit bodies of S. occidentalis may range in shape from deep cups to saucers to discs in maturity, and they can reach diameters up to 2 centimetres (3⁄4 inch). In young specimens, the edges of the cup are curled inwards, and crenulate (with small rounded scallops); the cup edges in older specimens become laciniate (with jagged edges cut into irregular segments). The cups rest atop a stem that is small to medium-sized, up to 30 millimetres (1+1⁄4 in) long and 1.5–2 mm thick, [15] and attached centrally or to the side to the underside of the cup. The base of the stem may be covered with translucent "hairs". [16] The fertile spore-bearing inner surface of the cups, the hymenium, is bright red but fades to yellow or orange when dry. It is smooth or becomes so with time. [17] The fruit bodies are fleshy to rubbery when fresh, but become leathery when dry. [15] The flesh is thin and has no distinctive odor or taste, nor culinary value. [13]

Micrograph of spores and asci Sarcoscypha occidentalis 523786.jpg
Micrograph of spores and asci

Exipulum is a term used to refer to the tissue or tissues containing the hymenium of an ascomycete fruit body. The ectal excipulum (outer tissue layer) is thin (20–30  µm thickness), made of a tissue type known as texura porrecta, consisting of more or less parallel hyphae all in one direction, with wide lumina and non-thickened walls. The medullary exipulum (middle tissue layer) is thick (200–600 µm) and made of textura intricata, a tissue layer made of irregularly interwoven hyphae with distinct spaces between the hyphae. The asci (filamentous structures in which the ascospores develop) are cylindrical with gradually tapering bases, eight-spored, and measure 240–280 by 12–15 µm. The ascospores have ellipsoidal to roughly cylindrical shapes, usually with blunt ends, and measure 19–22 by 10–12 µm. They have smooth surfaces and usually contain two large oil drops. The paraphyses (sterile, filamentous hyphae present in the hymenium) are cylindrical, 2–3 µm thick, barely enlarged at their apices, straight, and mostly unbranched above. They may sometimes anastomose, but do not form a conspicuous network. [17] The paraphyses contain numerous red granules. [18]

Similar species

Microstoma floccosum 13099.jpg
Microstoma floccosum
Scutellinia scutellata Dan Molter crop.jpg
Scutellinia scutellata

S. occidentalis is frequently confused with S. coccinea, but is distinguished macroscopically from this species by its smaller fruit bodies, smaller spores, and less hairy exterior. The two also differ in seasonal and geographic distribution: S. occidentalis fruits from late spring to early autumn in the United States, while S. coccinea fruits earlier in spring, [15] and is distributed in eastern North America, in the midwest, in the valleys between the Pacific coast and the Sierras and Cascades, as well as Europe, Africa, Australia, and India. [17] Another eastern North American species, S. austriaca , has scarlet fruit bodies up to 6 cm (2+1⁄2 in) wide, and fruits in early spring. [19]

S. occidentalis may also be mistaken for Microstoma floccosum , which occurs in the same habitat. M. floccosum, however, has taller cups and is covered with stiff white hairs. [20] Another cup-fungus, Scutellinia scutellata , is disc-shaped without a stem, and is fringed with black hairs around its rim. [13] Melastiza species usually lack stems and Phillipsia domingensis produces purplish or dark red cups with white undersides. [21]

Distribution and habitat

S. occidentalis grows on sticks and twigs. Sarcoscypha occidentalis 45258.jpg
S. occidentalis grows on sticks and twigs.

The fungus is found in North America east of the Rocky Mountains, and at higher elevations in Central America and the Caribbean. [17] It has also been collected in Japan [22] and Taiwan. [23]

As a saprobic fungus, S. occidentalis is part of a community of fungi that play an important role in the forest ecosystem by breaking down the complex insoluble molecules cellulose and lignin of wood and leaf litter into smaller oligosaccharides that may be used by a variety of microbes. [24] Fruit bodies of S. coccinea may grow either solitarily, scattered or grouped together on sticks, twigs, and fragments of dead wood, [17] usually somewhat decomposed and partially buried in the top 5 cm (2 in) of soil and forest litter. It prefers soil that is moist and shaded and has a high content of humus. Like all Sarcoscypha species, it prefers the wood of angiosperms, such as oak, maple, and basswood; [15] one field guide notes a preference for shagbark hickory. [18]

Related Research Articles

<i>Sarcoscypha</i> Genus of fungi

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. 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.

<i>Spathularia flavida</i> Species of fungus

Spathularia flavida, commonly known as the yellow earth tongue, the yellow fan, or the fairy fan, is an ascomycete fungus found in coniferous forests of Asia, Europe and North America. It produces a small, fan- or spoon-shaped fruit body with a flat, wavy or lobed cream to yellow colored "head" raised on a white to cream stalk. The height is usually approximately 2–5 cm, and up to 8 cm. The fungus fruits on the ground in mosses, forest duff or humus, and fruit bodies may occur singly, in large groups, or in fairy rings. The spores produced by the fungus are needle-like, and up to 95 micrometres long. Several varieties have been described that differ largely in their microscopic characteristics. S. flavida has been described by authorities variously as inedible, of unknown edibility, or edible but tough.

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

Sarcoscypha coccinea, commonly known as the scarlet elf cup, 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.

<i>Paragyromitra infula</i> Species of fungus

Paragyromitra infula, commonly known as the hooded false morel or the elfin saddle, is a species of fungus in the family Discinaceae. The dark reddish-brown caps of the fruit bodies develop a characteristic saddle-shape in maturity, and the ends of both saddle lobes are drawn out to sharp tips that project above the level of the fruit body. The stipe is white or flushed pale brown, smooth on the outside, but hollow with some chambers inside.

<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>Geopyxis carbonaria</i> Species of fungus

Geopyxis carbonaria is a species of fungus in the genus Geopyxis, family Pyronemataceae. First described to science in 1805, and given its current name in 1889, the species is commonly known as the charcoal loving elf-cup, dwarf acorn cup, stalked bonfire cup, or pixie cup. The small, goblet-shaped fruitbodies of the fungus are reddish-brown with a whitish fringe and measure up to 2 centimetres across. They have a short, tapered stalk.

<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 distinctive long, dark hairs or "eyelashes". These eyelashes are the most distinctive feature and are easily visible with a magnifying glass.

<i>Chorioactis</i> Genus of fungi that contains the single species Chorioactis geaster

Chorioactis is a genus of fungi that contains the single species Chorioactis geaster. The mushroom is commonly known as the devil's cigar or the Texas star in the United States, while in Japan it is called kirinomitake (キリノミタケ). This extremely rare mushroom is notable for its unusual appearance and disjunct distribution; it is found only in select locales in Texas and Japan. The fruit body, which grows on the stumps or dead roots of cedar elms or dead oaks, somewhat resembles a dark brown or black cigar before it splits open radially into a starlike arrangement of four to seven leathery rays. The interior surface of the fruit body bears the spore-bearing tissue known as the hymenium, and is colored white to brown, depending on its age. The fruit body opening can be accompanied by a distinct hissing sound and the release of a smoky cloud of spores.

<i>Urnula craterium</i> Species of fungus

Urnula craterium is a species of cup fungus in the family Sarcosomataceae. It is parasitic on oak and various other hardwood species; it is also saprobic, as the fruit bodies develop on dead wood after it has fallen to the ground. Appearing in early spring, its distinctive goblet-shaped and dark-colored fruit bodies have earned it the common names devil's urn and the gray urn. The distribution of U. craterium includes eastern North America, Europe, and Asia. It produces bioactive compounds that can inhibit the growth of other fungi. The asexual (imperfect), or conidial stage of U. craterium is a plant pathogen known as Conoplea globosa, which causes a canker disease of oak and several other hardwood tree species.

Korfiella is a fungal genus in the family Sarcosomataceae. A monotypic genus, it contains the single species Korfiella karnika, found in India and described as new to science in 1970.

<i>Plectania</i> Genus of fungi

Plectania is a genus of fungi in the family Sarcosomataceae. It was circumscribed by German botanist Karl Wilhelm Gottlieb Leopold Fuckel in 1870.

<i>Pseudoplectania</i> Genus of fungi

Pseudoplectania is a genus of fungi in the family Sarcosomataceae. The genus contains 12 species. Pseudoplectania ryvardenii was described in 2012, while Pseudoplectania carranzae was transferred to the genus in 2013.

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

Microstoma floccosum is a species in the cup fungus family Sarcoscyphaceae. It is recognizable by its deep funnel-shaped, scarlet-colored fruit bodies bearing white hairs on the exterior. Found in the United States and Asia, it grows on partially buried sticks and twigs of oak trees.

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

Wynnea americana, commonly known as moose antlers or rabbit ears, is a species of fungus in the family Sarcoscyphaceae. This uncommon inedible species is recognizable by its spoon-shaped or rabbit-ear shaped fruit bodies that may reach up to 13 cm (5 in) tall. It has dark brown and warty outer surfaces, while the fertile spore-bearing inner surface is orange to pinkish to reddish brown. The fruit bodies grow clustered together from large underground masses of compacted mycelia known as sclerotia. In eastern North America, where it is typically found growing in the soil underneath hardwood trees, it is found from New York to Michigan south to Mexico. The species has also been collected from Costa Rica, India, and Japan.

Limnoperdon is a fungal genus in the monotypic family Limnoperdaceae. The genus is also monotypic, as it contains a single species, the aquatic fungus Limnoperdon incarnatum. The species, described as new to science in 1976, produces fruit bodies that lack specialized structures such as a stem, cap and gills common in mushrooms. Rather, the fruit bodies—described as aquatic or floating puffballs—are small balls of loosely interwoven hyphae. The balls float on the surface of the water above submerged twigs. Experimental observations on the development of the fruit body, based on the growth on the fungus in pure culture, suggest that a thin strand of mycelium tethers the ball above water while it matures. Fruit bodies start out as a tuft of hyphae, then become cup-shaped, and eventually enclose around a single chamber that contains reddish spores. Initially discovered in a marsh in the state of Washington, the fungus has since been collected in Japan, South Africa, and Canada.

<i>Pseudoplectania nigrella</i> Species of fungus

Pseudoplectania nigrella, commonly known as the ebony cup, the black false plectania, or the hairy black cup, is a species of fungus in the family Sarcosomataceae. The fruit bodies of this saprobic fungus are small blackish cups, typically up to 2 cm broad.

<i>Plectania nannfeldtii</i> Species of fungus

Plectania nannfeldtii, commonly known as Nannfeldt's Plectania, the black felt cup, or the black snowbank cup fungus, is a species of fungus in the family Sarcosomataceae. The fruit bodies of this species resemble small, black, goblet-shaped shallow cups up to 3 cm wide, with stems up to 4 cm long attached to black mycelia. Fruit bodies, which may appear alone or in groups on the ground in conifer duff, are usually attached to buried woody debris, and are commonly associated with melting snow. Plectania nannfeldtii is found in western North America and in Asia, often at higher elevations. Similar black cup fungi with which P. nannfeldtii may be confused include Pseudoplectania vogesiaca, P. nigrella, and Helvella corium.

<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. 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. An imperfect form of the fungus, lacking a sexually reproductive stage in its life cycle, is classified as the species Molliardiomyces dudleyi.

<i>Galiella rufa</i> Species of fungus

Galiella rufa, commonly known as the rubber cup, the rufous rubber cup, or the hairy rubber cup, is a species of fungus in the family Sarcosomataceae. The fungus produces cup-shaped fruit bodies that typically grow in clusters on branches and exposed portions of buried wood throughout eastern and Midwest North America and in Malaysia. The fruit bodies have the texture of tough, gelatinous rubber, and have a rough, blackish-brown, felt-like outer surface and a smooth reddish-brown inner surface. Although generally considered inedible by North American mushroom field guides, it is commonly consumed in Malaysia. The fungus produces several natural products.

References

  1. ↑ "Species synonymy: Sarcoscypha occidentalis (Schwein.) Sacc". Species Fungorum. CAB International . Retrieved 2010-04-02.
  2. ↑ von Schweinitz LD. (1832). "Synopsis fungorum in America boreali media degentium". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society (in Latin). 4 (2): 141–316. doi:10.2307/1004834. JSTOR   1004834.
  3. ↑ Saccardo PA. (1888). "Discomyceteae et Phymatosphaeriaceae". Sylloge Fungorum (in Latin). 8: 154.
  4. ↑ Morgan AP. (1902). "The Discomycetes of the Miami Valley, Ohio". The Journal of Mycology. 8 (4): 179–92. doi:10.2307/3752419. JSTOR   3752419.
  5. ↑ Seaver FJ. (1928). The North American cup-fungi (Operculates). New York, New York: Self published. p. 193.
  6. ↑ Korf RP. (1953). "The new rules of typification as they affect Sarcoscypha and Velutaria". Mycologia. 45 (2): 296–301. doi:10.1080/00275514.1953.12024269. JSTOR   4547696.
  7. ↑ Korf RP. (1972). "A synoptic key to the genera of the Pezizales". Mycologia. 64 (5): 937–94. doi:10.2307/3758070. JSTOR   3758070.
  8. 1 2 3 Harrington FA. (1998). "Relationships among Sarcoscypha species: evidence from molecular and morphological characters". Mycologia. 90 (2): 235–43. doi:10.2307/3761299. JSTOR   3761299.
  9. 1 2 Harrington FA; Potter D. (1997). "Phylogenetic relationships within Sarcoscypha based upon nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer of nuclear ribosomal DNA". Mycologia. 89 (2): 258–67. doi:10.2307/3761080. JSTOR   3761080.
  10. ↑ Hemmes DE; Desjardin D. (2002). Mushrooms of Hawai'i: An Identification Guide. Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press. p. 141. ISBN   1-58008-339-0.
  11. ↑ Dennis RWG. (1954). "Operculate Discomycetes from Trinidad and Tobago". Kew Bulletin. 9 (3): 417–21. doi:10.2307/4108810. JSTOR   4108810.
  12. ↑ Paden JW. (1984). "A new genus of Hyphomycetes with teleomorphs in the Sarcoscyphaceae (Pezizales, Sarcoscyphineae)". Canadian Journal of Botany. 62 (2): 211–8. doi:10.1139/b84-035.
  13. 1 2 3 Roody WC. (2003). Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 470. ISBN   0-8131-9039-8.
  14. ↑ McKnight VB; McKnight KH. (1987). A Field Guide to Mushrooms: North America. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. p. 208. ISBN   0-395-91090-0.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Harrington FA. (1990). "Sarcoscypha in North America (Pezizales, Sarcoscyphaceae)". Mycotaxon. 38: 417–58.
  16. ↑ Kanouse BC. (1948). "The genus Plectania and its segregates in North America". Mycologia. 40 (4): 482–97. doi:10.2307/3755155. JSTOR   3755155.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Denison WC. (1972). "Central American Pezizales. IV. The genera Sarcoscypha, Pithya, and Nanoscypha". Mycologia. 64 (3): 609–23. doi:10.2307/3757876. JSTOR   3757876.
  18. 1 2 Healy RA; Huffman DR; Tiffany LH; Knaphaus G. (2008). Mushrooms and Other Fungi of the Midcontinental United States. Bur Oak Guide. Iowa City, Iowa: University of Iowa Press. p. 291. ISBN   978-1-58729-627-7.
  19. ↑ Miller HR; Miller OK. (2006). North American Mushrooms: a Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi. Guilford, Connecticut: Falcon Guide. p. 536. ISBN   0-7627-3109-5.
  20. ↑ Seaver FJ. (1904). "The Discomycetes of eastern Iowa". Bulletin from the Laboratories of Natural History of the State University of Iowa: 60. ISBN   9780608416786.
  21. ↑ Audubon (2023). Mushrooms of North America. Knopf. p. 45. ISBN   978-0-593-31998-7.
  22. ↑ Nagao H; Fukiharu T. (2002). "Fungal flora in Chiba Pref., central Japan (III) ascomycetes: Plectomycetes and Discomycetes". Journal of the Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba (in Japanese) (5): 111–32. ISSN   1340-2684.
  23. ↑ Lious S-C; Chen Z-C. (1977). "Notes on Taiwan Discomycetes. Part I. Pezizales and Helotiales" (PDF). Taiwania. 22 (1): 29–43. ISSN   0372-333X.
  24. ↑ Edwards IP; Upchurch RA; Zak DR. (2008). "Isolation of fungal cellobiohydrolase I genes from sporocarps and forest soils by PCR". Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 74 (11): 3481–89. Bibcode:2008ApEnM..74.3481E. doi:10.1128/AEM.02893-07. PMC   2423022 . PMID   18408067.

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