Hirticlavula
Hirticlavula | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Basidiomycota |
Class: | Agaricomycetes |
Order: | Agaricales |
Family: | Clavariaceae |
Genus: | Hirticlavula J.H.Petersen & Læssøe (2014) |
Species: | H. elegans
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Binomial name | |
Hirticlavula elegans J.H.Petersen & Læssøe (2014)
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Hirticlavula | |
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![]() | Ecology is saprotrophic |
![]() | Edibility is unknown |
Hirticlavula is a fungal genus in the family Clavariaceae. It contains a single described species, Hirticlavula elegans. Formally described in 2014, the fungus has been collected from Norway and Denmark. H. elegans produces white fruit bodies up to 1.1 millimetres (0.043 in) in height. Each fruit body contains a fertile head atop a hairy stem. The fruit bodies grow directly from dead bark or wood, where they feed as saprotrophs. Both morphological and ecological details are distinctive when compared to other clavarioid fungi.
Taxonomy
[edit]Hirticlavula elegans was described based on collections dating back to 1995. It was provisionally reported in 2009 in the proceedings of a 2008 conference, before being formally described in 2009 by Jens H. Petersen and Thomas Læssøe in an article in Karstenia, coauthored with Marie L. Davey.[1] The specific name elegans is from the Latin meaning "elegant", and refers to how "pretty" the species's fruit bodies are.[2][3] In Danish, the species has the common name hårkølle.[2] Phylogenetic analysis suggests that within the Clavariaceae, Hirticlavula is a sister to the clade comprising Clavaria, Camarophyllopsis and Hodophilus.[4]
Description
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Hirticlavula_drawn_plate.jpg/220px-Hirticlavula_drawn_plate.jpg)
Hirticlavula elegans produces white fruit bodies from 800 to 1100 micrometres (
The basidia are cyanophilous, meaning that the cell walls will readily absorb methyl blue stain. They measure 14 to 22 by 3.5 to 5
The hairs on the stem are straight and point away from the substrate, emerging from the stems at oblique angles. They are 150 to 250
It is unknown whether the fruit bodies are edible, but they are unlikely to be of interest to mushroom hunters due to the small size.[2][3]
Similar species
[edit]Hirticlavula elegans fruit bodies are highly distinctive. The characteristic hairy stems are very different from those of any other species in the Clavariaceae. Hairy stems are seen among more distant relatives, including members of Typhula, Pistillina and Pterula. However, the hairs of H. elegans are specialised structures containing numerous cells, while the more irregular hairs on the stems of the other species are merely branched hyphae. In addition, the hairs on the H. elegans stems thicken at the furthest point from the stem, while any hairs on the stems of other known species of clavarioid fungi thin at the end.[6]
Distribution and ecology
[edit]Hirticlavula elegans is known from Denmark and Norway. The fruit bodies grow directly from the wood or, more usually, the bark of hardwoods. Identified substrates include oaks, willows, hazels and possibly birches.[5] The ecology of the species is distinctive; while other members of the Clavariaceae are biotrophic (feeding upon living plant matter), H. elegans grows on dead plant matter as a saprotroph. The species fruits from May to October, longer than the fruiting of any other very small clavarioid fungi known to the describing authors.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Petersen, Davey, and Læssøe, p. 1.
- ^ a b c Brix, Lise (16 February 2015). "Ny svampeart opdaget i Nordjylland" [New fungal species discovered in Jutland] (in Danish). Videnskab.dk. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
- ^ a b "Denmark: Scientists find new 'pretty' fungus species". BBC News. 18 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
- ^ Petersen, Davey, and Læssøe, p. 2.
- ^ a b c d Petersen, Davey, and Læssøe, p. 4.
- ^ Petersen, Davey, and Læssøe, p. 4, 7.
- ^ Petersen, Davey, and Læssøe, p. 7.
Cited texts
[edit]- Petersen, Jens H.; Davey, Marie L.; Læssøe, Thomas (2014). "Hirticlavula elegans, a new clavarioid fungus from Scandinavia". Karstenia. 54 (1): 1–8. doi:10.29203/ka.2014.459.