Hyphodontia candidissima

E. Langer 1994, Bibl. Mycol 154: 74.

Synonyms:

= Kneiffia candidissima Berk. & Curt. 1848, Hooker's Journ. Bot. 1: 237.
Holotype: USA, South Carolina, on twigs of Juniperus virginiana, leg. Ravenel, Herb. Curtis Nr. 1791, Herbarium K.
= Hyphodontia agglutinospora Hjortst. 1993 in herb.
Holotype: Brasilia, Sao Paulo, Cananeia, Ilha do Cardoso, on Palm, leg. Hjortstam, 2.-5. Feb. 1987, No. 16787, Herbarium K.
Isotypus: Herbarium GB.

Select illustrations:

[image] [image]

Macromorphology:

Resupinate, odontioid, white to yellowish, margin thinning out, without aculei up to 100 µm thick, Aculei up to100µm high, 6-8 aculei per mm.

Micromorphology:

Spores:
5-6 x 3-4 µm, ellipsoid, thin-walled, smooth, hyalin, inamyloid, first with one droplet each when attached to the basidium, later without droplet when detached. Spores are glued together to spore balls of 2-6 spores.
Basidia:
15-30 x 4-5 µm, young clavate, mature suburniform with 2-3 constrictions and one basal clamp each. Basildial repetition occurs very often.
Sterigmata:
Four, 3.5-4 µm long.
Cystidia:
Subulate cystidia, 20-30 x 3-4 µm, thin-walled, apical tapering, with several constrictions. Very variable in form.
Clamps:
All primary septa with one clamp each.
Hyphae:
Hyphal system monomitic. Basal hyphae 2-4 µm in diameter, slightly thick-walled (up to 0.5 µm). Subicular hyphae loosely interwoven. Subhymenial hyphae 2-4 µm in diameter, thin-walled. Many dead hyphae present in the subhymenium which is therefore difficult to analyze.
Aculei:
Hyphae of the aculei 1-4 µm in diameter, thin-walled, sinuous or snake-like. Hyphal endings obtuse or subulate.

Habitate and substrate:

There are too few record to make interpretations. One tropical specimen is from a Palm tree, the holotype from Juniperus.

Biogeography:

The only known records are from North- and South-Amerika.

Remarks:

Kneiffia candidissima, described by Berkely & Curtis (1948) has typical characters of the genus Hyphodontia (e.g. hyphodontioid branching of hyphae, Spores with droplets, suburniform basidia). It was therefore combined in Hyphodontia by E. Langer (1994).
Only in three Hyphodontia species spores are glued together to spore balls. They can be distiguished by their spore morphology and the construction of their aculei. 

Spores longer than 7µm
   Aculei formed by slightly ventricose and capitate cystidia...H. adhaerispora
   Aculei formed by sinuose or snake-like cystidia..............H. capitata
Spores shorter than 7 µm........................................H. candidissima

Herbarium specimens:

USA, South CarolinaUSA, South Carolina, on twigs of Juniperus virginiana, leg. Ravenel, Herb. Curtis Nr. 1791, Herbarium K.
Brasilia, Sao Paulo, Cananeia, Ilha do Cardoso, on Palm, leg. Hjortstam, 2.-5. Feb. 1987, No. 16787, Herbarium K.

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Dr. Ewald Langer - 6. March 1996
ewald.langer@uni-tuebingen.de