Ascomycotina

The Sac Fungi

“ascos” Gk., meaning “goat skin/sac”

Mycology & Lichenology

SEMESTER – I
BOTANY COURSE NO. 221101
Sanjoy Guha Roy, Ph.D.

DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY,
WEST BENGAL STATE UNIVERSITY, BARASAT, KOLKATA- 700126
W.B. INDIA
ASCOMYCOTINA
(The Sac Fungi)
Gk. askos = goat skin, sac
Introduction to Ascomycotina

 Ascomycetes (Ascomycotina) represent 75% of all fungi including

fungi in lichen symbioses, mycorrhizal fungi, and fungi that have lost
their sexual phase and rely on production of mitospores (conidia).

 All Ascomycetes have meiosis inside asci.

 Most have Type I life cycle with short dikaryophase in the ascogenous
hyphal system that develops after fertilization in the developing fruit body.
 Croziers in the ascogenous hyphae are probably homologous to clamp
connections.

 Not all Ascomycetes have ascomata (ascoma = fruitbody with asci).

 Those with exposed hymenia have forcible ascospore discharge.
 Most Ascomycetes have simple septa with Woronin Bodies.
 Many yeasts have perforate septa
Division of Ascomycota
 Ascocarps; ascogenous hyphae;
specialized ascus tip; conidia;
Woronin bodies
Filamentous
simple septal pores; ascus ascomycetes
(Euascomycetes)
Absence of ascogenous
hyphae and ascocarps; most
asci without specialized tips

Sacccharomycetales
(Hemiascomycetes)

Characterized by DNA sequence analysis

Archiascomycetes

Basidiomycetes
Classification from Alexopoulos et al. 1996
 Key features of Archiascomycetes and
Hemiascomycetes that distinguish it from
Euascomycetes
Ascogenous hyphae and ascocarp are lacking in the first two
groups.
Asci are formed freely and singly either directly following
karyogamy or more rarely after a prolonged diploid phase.
Cell wall composition: very little chitin, often confined to small
ring around the site where the daughter cell is produced (the
bud scar)
Septal pore :
 one or several pores may be present, usually very small and

plugged.
 Hence, does not permit passage of organelles including

cytoplasmic communications between adjacent hyphal cells.

 Lack woronin bodies.
Archiascomycetes and Hemiascomycetes lack
ascomata (fruitbodies) and have naked asci

Most filamentous ascus-producing fungi (the

Euascomycetes) produce ascocarps
(excepting the unicellular forms) and have a
dikaryon phase in the ascogenous system
found within developing ascomata. Croziers
are part of the orderly mitosis of the two nuclei
in each cell.
 Archiascomycetes (1 and 2) with naked asci
Taphrina 1 2

www.biomed2.man.ac.uk/stewart/home.html
Fission Yeast

Hemiascomycetes Euascomycetes

Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Features distinguishing Hemiascomycetes
from Archiascomycetes
Hemiascomycetes
Predominant growth form in
culture as well as nature is
the yeast state although a
limited mycelium or
psuedomycelium may be
present.
Asci have evanescent walls
and release their ascospores
passively.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Lastly DNA sequencing can
confirm their identification
Archiascomycetes
May grow as a
mycelium in nature but
as yeasts in the
laboratory.
Asci may (Taphrina,
Protomyces) or may not
(Pneumocystis,
Schizosaccharomyces)
forcibly discharge their
spores
 Archiascomycetes show big variations
From Euascomycetes: e.g., Taphrinales

Taphrina deformans
A) The assimilative mycelium is dikaryotic – different from
most other ascomycetes.

(B) It produces an exposed layer of asci on the surface of

the host leaf (top right). No ascoma.

(C) The ascospores often bud, even while still inside the
ascus (left and bottom right).

(D) When the asci open to release their spores, they tend
to split across the tip, rather than around it (bottom,
left), so they are not like the rest of the operculate
group – like the asci of the Pezizales.
Members of Archiascomycetes
Ascospore budding Colony on PDA
(blastoconidium formation) a—e: Taphrina spp.
a –c Taphrina wiesneri

Witches’ broom disease of

a Japanese cherry tree e: T.caerulescens
Quercus leaf curl Germination of resting spore d Taphrina deformans
f, g: Protomyces
h-top Rhodosporidium
toruloides;
Peach leaf curl disease Hymenium Galls
Left: Taphrina wiesneri;
cell wall ultrastructure Rt: Saitoella complicata
Colonies on PDA
i, j Saitoella complicata
Enteroblastic budding

Schizosaccaromyces Ascus with 4 ascospores

Neolecta
pomme vitellina l: Pneumocystis
carnii
Mature cyst containing endospor

Fission

Sugiyama et al. 2006. Mycologia 98: 1001

 Alexopoulos, Mims & Blackwell
Introductory Mycology

EMS = enveloping membrane system

invaginates and fragments into sheets
That then cleave out the young
ascospores.

Taphrina and Protomyces are in the Taphrinales and are plant parasites.
Schizosaccharomyces and Saitoella are saprophytic yeasts.
Pneumocystis is a pulmonary parasite of animals.
The Saccharomycetales include brewer’s yeast and Candida albicans.
Filamentous Ascomycetes here pertains to the Euascomycetes only
Phylogeny of basal Ascomycota—nSSU and nLSU rDNA

Sugiyama et al. 2006. Mycologia 98: 1002

Somatic Structures
• Thallus: yeast, mycelial, or dimorphic

• Cell walls: chitinous in filamentous forms, mannan and

glucan principal polysaccharide in yeasts, exception
Archiascomycetes

• regularly septate hyphae

• invagination of plasmalemma

• septa includes a small pore

• permits flow of cytoplasm and organelles

 Ascomycotina usually have
Simple septa with Woronin Bodies (A).

Ascomycetous yeasts often

have perforate septa (B)

Basidiomycotina usually have

dolipore septa (C).

Basidiomycotina with pulley wheels (D)

Alexopoulos, Mims & Blackwell

Introductory Mycology
Woronin bodies

• membrane bound structures associated with the septum

• frequently plug the septal pores of hyphae
• crystalline peroxisome
• function in maintaining cellular integrity during hyphal
growth and damage

Momany et. al. (2002) Mycologia, 94, 260-266.

Septal pore organelle

• Complex membrane bound structure, often shaped like

pulley wheels that plugs septal pores.

• Distributed in parts of mycelium so that it isolates structures

involved in sexual reproduction from other regions of the
mycelium- usually found in ascus base and sterile parts of
the hymenium of the ascocarp and also in somatic hyphae.

• Derived either from woronin bodies or from golgi like

membrane system with coalescing vesicles contributing to
the formation of pore plugs.
Concentric bodies

• Present in hyphae of most lichen forming ascomycetes,

rarely in ascospores and in several related non-lichen
forming ascomycetes (Venturia inequalis).

• They have a translucent center separated from the

dense outer rim with radiating filamentous stuctures by
a membrane like structure.

• Usually found in clusters in an area of cytoplasm

devoid of other organelles

• Origin and function unknown

Fungal tissues

Plectenchyma - general term for fungal tissue

Prosenchyma - tissue is loosely woven

mycelial strands

Pseudoparenchyma - tightly packed hyphae;

more or less isodiametric
 Nuclear condition

Monokaryon
 A single type of nucleus in a cell or mycelium
Dikaryon
 A pair of closely associated, sexually
compatible nuclei in a cell or mycelium (n + n)
Heterokaryon (heterokaryosis)
 a condition in which genetically different
nuclei are associated with the same
protoplast or the same mycelium
 Parasexual Cycle
(Pontecorvo, 1956)

Establishment of heterokaryon
 Mutation
 Hyphal fusion
Fusion of two different nuclei to form
diploid
Haploidization by aneuploidy
From Gary Cole http://gsbs.utmb.edu/microbook/ch073.htm
INCOMPATIBILITY SYSTEMS

Homogenic incompatibility
inability of genetically similar individuals to fuse
promotes outcrossing in sexual reproduction
controlled by mating type genes (MAT)
unifactorial (bipolar)
outcrossing individuals are heterothallic
operates in gamatangia and trichogynes

Heterogenic incompatibility
inability of somatic or vegetative hyphae to fuse
somatic or vegetative incompatibility
vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs)
het genes
Mating type genes
Single genetic locus - MAT with two “alleles” not
true alleles

Idiomorphs
 not homologous
 encode for two distinct set of genes but at identical
chromosome location

Specifies one of two possible mating types

MAT1-1 & MAT1-2 (recent universal standard)

MAT a & MAT  (Saccharomyces)

MAT A & MAT a (Neurospora)
MAT 1-1 secretes pheromone factor (a or 1)
recognized by receptor in 1-2

MAT 1-2 secretes pheromone factor ( or 2)

recognized by receptor in 1-1

Reception of pheromones results in:

 Arrest of the cell cycle
 Production of cell wall carbohydrates and other
factors
 Gametangial development and interaction
Vegetative or somatic incompatibility

• Heterogenic incompatibility
• Prevents the fusion of genetically different mycelia
• Multigenic and multiallelic genetic system
• het loci

Antagonism between two VCGs

(vegetative compatibility groups)

• Barrage reactions - a clear zone between the two mycelia due

to the lysis of the interacting hyphae
• Unstable heterokaryons
• Enhanced pigment production
• Enhanced mitotic spore (conidium) production
 How do haploid, monokaryotic, heterothallic
ascomycetes in different vc groups undergo
sexual reproduction?

 Separate individuals are maintained in vegetative

hyphae controlled by het genes
 Detection of mating compatible pheromones
results in the development of ascogonia and
antheridia
 Gametangia are not under the control of the het
genes
Primary morphological characters
of the Ascomycota
Sexual spores (meiospores=ascospores)
formed in sac-like structure called ascus
(pl. asci)
Site of meiosis
Three main types of asci in Ascomycota:
 Prototunicate ascus
 Unitunicate ascus
 Bitunicate ascus
 Ascus
• round to clavate to cylindrical
• persistent or evanescent
• +/- iodine reaction of ascus walls
• operculate
• inoperculate
• unitunicate
• bitunicate
• prototunicate Bitunicate asci
www.mycolog.com/CHAP4a.htm www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/wong/Bot201/Ascomycota/
www.mycolog.com/CHAP4a.htm
www.bsu.edu/classes/ruch/msa/geiser.html

www.bsu.edu/classes/ruch/msa/geiser.html
Iodine reaction of ascus walls
Application of Iodine as useful taxonomic aid to
differentiate unitunicate inoperculate type from the
bitunicate type when observed under light microscope.

Except in the lichenised ascomycetes, the bitunicate asci

do not turn blue.

Depending on upon the species the asci of some species

will turn entirely blue or turn blue at apex only.

The structures that become blue include the plug within

the pore and the rings that occur within the thickened
ascus apex.

Basically these are electron dense granules arranged as a

ring or plate, delimiting the pore, that lie within the ground
material derived from the outer ascus wall
Ascospores
• +/- pigmentation
www.arches.uga.edu/~newell/pspc.htm

www.bsu.edu/classes/ruch/msa/geiser.html

• aseptate, uniseptate or multiseptate

• +/- appendages
• +/- sheaths
• variety size, shapes, arrangement in ascus
• usually 8 per ascus

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Ascus types: Prototunicate
Thin-walled ascus
Ascospores released by breakdown of wall e.g
Saccharomycetales, Eurotiales, Onygenales.
Eurotium and Gymnoascus
Ascus types: Unitunicate
Inner (endotunica or endoascus) and outer ascus walls
(exotunica or exoascus) do not separate during
ascospore release
Ascospores released through specialized adaptation at
ascus tip in the form of pore, slit or lid
Unitunicate Asci
 Ascus tip
Operculate
 Ascus opens by forming a lid like
operculum
 Cap that detaches along preformed line
 Operculum may be
lifted completely e.g Pezzizales, Sarcoscypha
coccinea or
may hinge to one side – e.g Pezzizales,
Ascobolus and Pyronema
 Ascus tip
Inoperculate
No operculum
Opens by pore – e.g Heliotales like Sclerotinia or
May burst by one or two longitudinal slits at the apex
(bilabiate ascus)-e.g Pertusaria, Ascozonus.
Specialised structures found in ascus tips are generally
referred to as the apical apparatus.
Apical ring or annulus are specially
thickened inward extension of the
apical wall of the ascus arranged in
the form of cylindrical flanges. Upon
discharge of ascospore the annulus
is everted inside out like a sleeve.
 Refractive ring, Neurospora
Ascus apex may be slightly thickened with single
ring Fig (a), cylindrical apex with four rings some of
which project downwards into the ascus and stains
faintly with iodine (b), pulvinus with two rings that
stains blue with iodine (c).
 Annulus amyloid: when stains blue with iodine,
Amyloid ring, Xylaria
Xylaria
 Dextrinoid: when stains red with Melzer’s iodine

 Refractive: when it does not stain with iodine.

Neurospora, Sordaria
Apices capped by a swollen plug of wall material
pierced by a narrow pore. Claviceps purpurea,
Cordyceps.
Function related to mechanism of discharge of
ascospores

(a) Thickened apex with single ring; (b) cylindrical with

four rings, some pointing downwards; (c) pulvinus with
two rings
Unitunicate-Inoperculate Asci
Series Unitunicatae-Inoperculate
Although none have lids (opercula), the asci of this group
are not as uniform in appearance or structure as we might
like (below). Most have thicker walls at their tips, pierced
by a fine pore. Inside the apices, many have diagnostic
sphincter-like rings, which control the expulsion of the
spores. Some of those rings are amyloid (they stain blue
in iodine), others don't react with iodine, and are called
chitinoid. Some asci don't have rings at all, and in the
lichenized Lecanorales (G) (now placed in the
Class Lecanoromycetes), the ascal apex is extremely thick
and pierced by a narrow canal.
The true relationships among these orders have yet to be
fully worked out.
Ascus types: Bitunicate

Also called “Jack-in-the Box” ascus (Ingold, 1933)

or the fissitunicate ascus (Henssen and Jahns,
1974)
Inner and outer wall layers separate during
ascospore discharge:
 Inner (endotunica)—thin and extensible
 Outer (exotunica)—thick, inextensible
Inner wall balloons out beyond outer wall
“Jack-in-the Box” ascus showing
ascospore discharge
 Bitunicate ascus

Endotunica

Exotunica

Protoventuria barriae
Bitunicate (fissitunicate) Ascus

Bitunicate (fissitunicate) ascus Apical chamber

 Four types of Asci
Ascostome
Unitunicate,
operculum Inoperculate ascus

Unitunicate,
Operculate ascus

Prototunicate ascus

Bitunicate, “Jack-in-the-box” ascus

Sexual reproduction in Ascomycota

1. Gametangial contact
gametangia - sexual reproductive organs. Pyronema
domesticum

2. spermatization
fertilization of female gametangium by male gamete
(spermatium). Neurospora crassa

3. somatogamy
fusion of undifferentiated hyphae; rare in Ascomycota.e.g
Coprobia granulata

Mating behaviour: Heterothallic (Neurospora crassa) and

Homothallic (Emericella nidulans, Pyronema
domesticum, Sordaria fimicola)
Gametangial contact
Isogametangia
- morphologically identical gametangia
- gametangia fuse
- fusion cell becomes ascus
- common in yeasts
Heterogametangia
- morphologically distinct gametangia
- antheridium (male; donates nuclei)
- ascogonium (female; receives nuclei)
- trichogyne: receptive hypha on some ascogonia
- Pyronema domesticum
- male nuclei pass from the antheridium into the ascogonium
- no formation of a "fusion cell”
- ascogonium is initially multinucleate; nuclei occurring in
pairs(?)
- hyphae from fertilized ascogonium develop into asci
Development of Ascus
A. ascogonium and antheridium (n)
B. fertilization of ascogonium by antheridium (multinucleate)
C. dikaryotic hyphae developing from fertilized ascogonium
D. crozier development
E. conjugate nuclear division (mitosis)
F. ascus mother cell (n+n)
G. zygote (2n)
H. young ascus post meiosis (n)
I. young ascus after mitosis (n)
J. mature ascus with ascospores (n)

www.apsnet.org/education/IllustratedGlossary/PhotosA-D/ascogonium.htm
 Ascosporogenesis

Formation of ascospores within the ascus occurs by the

• Process of free cell formation
• Enveloping membrane system (EMS)

(1) envelopment of a nucleus and cytoplasm by two closely

associated membranes (EMS)

(2) Ascospore wall deposition between the two membranes

ascus cell wall

Ascus n EMS

ascus plasmalemma
The EMS
Double membrane (dm) system. Separates from its
close association with the ascus. Plasmalemma
fragments into pieces or sheets. These dm sheets
cleave out the young ascospore

ascus cell wall

EMS
Ascus n

ascus plasmalemma
Epiplasm

• Cytoplasm that is not incorporated into developing

ascospore
• Functions:
 Nourishment of developing spores (?)
 Deposition of spore ornamentation

ascus cell wall

Ascus n
epiplasm
ascus plasmalemma
After ascospore initials delimitation by EMS

• inner membrane of the EMS becomes the ascospore

plasmalemma
• outer membrane becomes the "ascospore investing
membrane” (aim)
• investing membrane is displaced progressively by ascospore
wall deposition
• much of the ascospore wall is deposited by the young
ascospore
• at least part of the ascospore wall and spore ornamentation
are deposited by the epiplasm
ascus cell wall

aim
Ascus n ascospore plasmalemma
ascospore cell wall
ascus plasmalemma
In Ascomycetes meiosis occurs in the ascus similar to in basidia.
BUT two differences from Basidiomycetes:
(1) meiospores are borne inside asci and shot out;
(2) the dikaryon is a short period of the Type 1 lifecycle found
only in the ascogenous hyphal system after fertilization.

From TEXT
Ascoma or Ascocarp types
 What’s inside?
Asci-scattered or in Hymenium
Centrum:- (Hamathecium + asci) excluding ascoma
wall
Hamathecium (Gr. Hama = together + theke = case):
sterile inter-ascal tissue or elements. Lacking in
Eurotiales,clavicipitales,Mycosphaerella.

 Paraphyses : hyphae growing amongst the asci

 Apical paraphyses: short hyphae that originate above the

level of developing asci and grow down in palisade layer
among the asci

 Epithecium (Gr. epi = upon + theke = case)- when

paraphyses tips fuse above the asci to form a solid layer
 Periphyses : hyphae in the ostiolar canal of an ascocarp

 Pseudoparaphyses : originate above the asci of an

ascostroma; grow down among the developing asci to reach the
base of the ascocarp where they fuse with the base of the
cavity. May be septate, branched and anastomosing.

 Trabaeculate pseudoparaphyses: Nonseptate, usually thinner

than pseudoparaphysis
Naked asci without any fruit bodies
 Asci formed directly from zygote, terminal
clamydospores or ascogenous cells following
karyogamy, no ascogenous hyphae hence
complete absence of ascocarp
 Hemiascomycetes and Archiascomycetes-
includes both yeast and yeast like members.
Byssochalmys forms clusters of naked asci.
Cleistothecium

 Completely enclosed by wall (peridium), no

preformed opening.e.g Plectomycetes
(Aspergillus, Penicillium)

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Chasmothesium

 modified cleistothesium capable of cracking

open along a line of weakness. e.g Erysiphales
Erysiphae
 Gymnothesium

 Not completely enclosed, There is loose open

network of peridial hyphae referred to as
reticuloperidium.e.g Gymnoascus, Myxotricum

Ctenomyces Auxarthron
 Apothecium
 Ascocarp with asci exposed at maturity.
 Cup or saucer shaped e.g Discomycetes (Pezzizales and
Helotiales). Asci unitunicate.
 Sessile or without stipe, Ascobolus, Pyronema, Pezziza
 With stipe, Cookenia;
 Non cupulate and compound ascoma Morchella esculenta,
Helvella infula, Wynnea americana.
 Epigeous: species which form their apothecia above ground.
Majority of Pezzizales.
 Hypogeous: ascomata occur beneath the soil. The Truffles
 Variedly coloured, fleshy and moist.
The anatomical zones
Hymenium-palisade layer of asci and paraphyses
Subhymenium-thin zone of tissue giving rise to
hymenium
Exipulum-the sterile tissue
 Ectal exipulum-outermost sterile layer of apothecium

 Medullary excipulum-central enclosed mass of sterile

tissue of apothecium
Perithecium
 Apical pore (ostiole) through with ascospores are released,
globose to flask shaped.e.g Pyrenomycetes (Sphaeriales
and Hypocreales). Asci unitunicate.
 Perithecia single (Sordaria, Neurospora) or embedded in
or seated on a mass of tissue forming perithecial stroma.
 Stroma brightly coloured or subued.
Ascolocular types
Loculoascomycetes = Dothideomycetes

From Blackwell et al. 2006. Mycologia 98: 834

 Pezizomycotina
Laboulbeniomycetes - inoperculate, perithecia
lichen
Arthoniomycetes - bitunicate, apothecia*

Dothideomycetes - bitunicate, pseudothecia*

Leotiomycetes - inoperculate, apothecia*

Sordariomycetes - inoperculate, perithecia

prototunicate, cleistothecia*
lichen
Lichinomycetes - inoperculate, apothecia
lichen
Lecanoromycetes - inoperculate, apothecia*

Eurotiomycetes - prototunicate, cleistothecia

bitunicate, pseudothecia*
Pezizomycetes - operculate, apothecia*

Orbiliomycetes - inoperculate, apothecia*

From Blackwell et al. 2006. Mycologia 98: 834
A selection of Dothideomycete morphological forms.
Teleomorphs, ascostromata
Tubeufia cerea(Tubeufiaceae) on wood Pseudothecia Hysteropatella prostii(Hysteriales) Stylodothis puccinioides (Dothideales)

Pseudothecia

Pyrenophora brizae(Pleosporales) Cochliobolus heterostrophus (Pleosporales) Hysterothecia

Multiascus locules
Guignardia magniferae (Botryosphaeriales)

Davidiella tassiana (Capnodiales)

Myriangium duriaei (Myriangiales)

Bitunicate asci,

Monascus locules
Asci with ascospores Bipolaris sp. (Pleosporales) Trimmatostroma abietis
Bitunicate
Broken Helicoon and Helicoma spp. (Tubeufiaceae).
ectotunica
Dothiorella sp. (Botryosphaeriales) Stroma
Trimmatostroma abietis

Conidia and
Conidia borne in pycnidium Helical conidia conidiophore Chlamydospores
Pseudothecium
 Ascocarp with bitunicate asci formed in cavity
(locule) within psuedoparenchymatous
stromatic tissue also called ascostroma.
Resembles perithecium in appearance.
Venturia inaequalis
Comparision between Perithecium and
Pseudothecium
Perithecium are flask shaped Pseudothecium superficially
structure with distinct wall, the resembles a perithecium with no
peridium. distinct wall.

Characteristic of Pyrenomycetes Characteristic of loculoascomycetes

excepting Erysiphales .

Ostiole schizogenous. Ostiole lysigenous.

Ascoma formed following sexual Ascoma an aggregation of

stimulus. Asci arise from a vegetative hyphae. Asci develop in
hymenium. pre-formed locules, the ascolocule.

Presence of Paraphyses and Presence of Psuedoparaphyses.

Apical paraphyses
Hysterothecium
 Some consider this type between perithecium and
apothecium characterised by multilocular, carbonaceous,
leathery, boat shaped (Hysterium) or branched ascoma
with a long slit like opening parallel to long axis and
extending through the entire length of the ascoma or with
radiate fissures (Rhytissima) that opens up above the
ascocarp for the ascospores to escape. Asci bitunicate
with hyaline, multiseptate ascospores.
 e.g Hysteriales of Loculoascomycetes
 Hysterium pulicare

Ascomata opening by a longitudinal split, and sometimes called hysterothecia.

Thyrothecium
 Inverted flattened scutellate ascoma lacking basal plate
is termed as thyrothecium e.g. Morenoina epilobii,
Schizothyrium
 Ascoma ostiolate or closed. When closed the scutellum
opens either with a longitudinal fissure, a star-shaped
fissures or with irregular fissures.
 Asci globose, bitunicate with fissitunicate dehiscence,
may or may not be stalked.
 Ascospores usually septate with or without mucous
sheaths or cilia.
 Schizothyrium rufulum

Without ostiole

Figs. 14-16. Schizothyrium rufulum on Encyclia sp. (Orchidaceae; Mangelsdorff 2247). 14. Longitudinal section through a
thyriothecium. Bar = 25 μm. 15. Young and mature asci embedded in ascogenous tissue. Bar = 25 μm. 16. Mature ascospores. Bar
= 10 μm.
 Schizothyrium pomi
Flyspeck, on apple Without ostiole Thyriothecium cracks in
the light colored circular
area seen here

Immature thyriothecia of S. pomi on apple

Fig. (A) Schizothyrium pomi,
associated with flyspeck, on
apple. (B, C) Immature
thyriothecia of S. pomi on
apple. When mature, the
thyriothecium cracks in the
light colored circular area seen
in (C). Bar = 2 mm in (B) and
100 μm in (C). (D, E)
Ascospores and asci released
from a crushed thyriothecium
obtained from blackberry stem.
Bar = 30 μm in (D) and 15 μm in
(E).
 Morenoina epilobii

Ostiole

Figs. 7-10. Morenoina epilobii on an unknown host (Hofmann 127). 7. Surface mycelium
with young thyriothecia. Bar = 20 μm. 8. Longitudinal section through a thyriothecium with
a basal hymenium. Bar = 10 μm. 9. Young and mature asci on ascogenous tissue. Bar =
10 μm. 10. Young and mature ascospores. Bar = 5 μm.
Ascocarp Types
(a recapitulation)
 Pictorial Representation of different Ascocarps

T.S through compound fructification of Xylaria showing many perithecial ascomata

From Moore-Landecker, Fundamentals of the Fungi.
 Ascocarp
Ascocarptypes
types
Cleistothecium Gymnothecium

Chasmothecium

Stipitate
Apothecium
Apothecium

Compound
ascoma
 Compound ascomata
Order Cyttariales Class Leotiomycetes:

On Southern Beech tree (Nothofagus)

close-up of the head

Hypocrea
slice of the head
reveals their
Claviceps orientation.
Cordyceps sp
 Ascocarp types

Perithecium Pseudothecium
 Ascostromatal types

Hysteriothecium

Pseudothecium

Thyrothecium