A revision of the genus Orbilia in the Canary Islands Author Quijada, Luis Departamento de Botánica, Ecología y Fisiología Vegetal, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife 38200, Canary Islands, Spain. Author Baral, Hans-Otto Blaihofstr. 42, D- 72074 Tübingen, Germany. Author Beltrán-Tejera, Esperanza Departamento de Botánica, Ecología y Fisiología Vegetal, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife 38200, Canary Islands, Spain. text Phytotaxa 2016 2016-11-18 284 4 231 262 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.284.4.1 journal article 10.11646/phytotaxa.284.4.1 1179-3163 13645048 Orbilia scolecospora (G.W. Beaton) Baral , in Liu, Liu, Zhuang & Baral, Fungal Diversity 22: 117 (2006) ( Fig. 6 ) Apothecia 0.4–0.7(1.4) mm in diam., 0.2–0.3 mm high, scattered to gregarious, hyaline to pale yellowish pink (31. p. y Pink) when young, in mature medium yellowish pink (29. m. y Pink) to light orange yellow (70. l. OY), disc convex when young, at mature slightly concave to flat, not erumpent, margin with 5–8(10) triangular teeth of * 0.05–0.15 mm lengh, 0.05–0.2 mm mm width at base, 0.02–0.1 mm width at apex. Asci *(40.5)45.2–50(56.6) × 3.3–4.4 μm, †(33)40–45(53) × 2.7–3.5 μm; thin apex; cylindric-clavate, 8-spored, spores 2–4-uniseriate, 4 lower spores inverted, pars sporifera *13–18 μm; with a long thin bifurcate base. Ascospores *(8)8.8–10.5(11.3) × 0.8–1.2 μm, †(6.5)7.7– 8.3(9.5) × 0.5–1 μm; narrowly fusoid to fusiform-clavate, medium helicoid, with a acute apex and strongly curved tapered tail; SBs *(2.6)3–3.7 × 0.4–0.5 μm, subulate, straight to slightly flexuose. Paraphyses uninflated, cylindrical to slightly clavate, 1–2-septate; terminal cell *(11)14–16.5(18.5) × (1.8)2.2–2.7 μm, cell below *(4)5–6.5(9) × 1.7–2.5 μm; not branched, with cloddy and continuous grayish yellow (90. gy. Y) exudate, 0.5–2 μm long; with several light gray (264. l. Gray) eyelash or globose to cylindric SCBs *2.2–8 × 1.3–2 μm. Ectal excipulum at base and middle flanks of textura angularis to t. globosa , *(52)76–130(181) μm thick; at margin and upper flank of t. angularis , *(13)20– 33(52) μm; hyaline, not gelatinized, with refractive medium yellow (87. m. Y) glassy processes *(16)37–134(223) μm. Cells of ectal excipulum *(11)13.7–17(20.7) × (7.8)11–13(16.3) μm at base and lower flank, wall thickness *0.4–1 μm; *(4.7)6–8(10) × (3.7)4.3–5.4(7) μm at margin; cortical cells at margin cylindric and protruding, *(9.5)11–13.5(15.3) × 2.2–3.5(5.5) μm; with yellow gray (93. y Gray) ring to lasso-shaped SCBs *4–5 × 3–4 μm at lower flank, globose SCBs *2–5 μm diam. at margin. Specimens examined:— SPAIN . Canary Islands : Tenerife, Buenavista del Norte, Teno Rural Park, El Draguillo, 28°21’15’’N , 16°54’12’’W , 130 m , Euphorbia canariensis scrub, on wood of Euphorbia canariensis , 5 June 2009 , L. Quijada & C. Quijada, E. Rodríguez (TFC Mic. 22235!). Idem, 16 June 2009 , L. Quijada, C. Quijada & E. Rodríguez (TFC Mic. 22289!, 22290!, 22297!, 22305!, 22307!). Idem, 28 February 2010 , L. Quijada, R. Castro & E. Rodríguez (TFC Mic. 22872!, 22873!). Idem , La Morra los Cardones, 28°14’47’’N , 16°25’47’’W , 346 m , Euphorbia atropurpurea scrub, on wood of Euphorbia canariensis , 18 December 2013 , L. Quijada & C. Quijada (TFC Mic. 24423!). La Laguna, Anaga Rural Park, Andén de la Cruz, 28°34’03’’N , 16°18’03’’W , 337 m , Euphorbia canariensis scrub, on wood of Euphorbia canariensis , 29 December 2013 , L. Quijada & E. Rodríguez (TFC Mic. 24450!). FIGURE 6. Morphological features of Orbilia scolecospora . 1. Fresh apothecia. 2. Excipular tissues in median section: 2a. glassy processes at margin, 2b. cells with SCBs at upper flank. 3. Living and dead asci. 4. Living paraphyses. 5. Dead and living ascospores. 500 μm= 1a, 1d, 1f; 100 μm= 1b–c, 1e 1e; 50 μm= 2a; 10 μm= 2b, 3a–d, 4a–b, 5b; 5 μm= 5a. Mounted in: CR= 3b, 3d, 4b, 5a; H 2 O= 2a–b, 3a, 3c, 4a, 5b. Photos: TFC Mic. 22307= 1f; TFC Mic. 24423= 1a–e, 2b, 3a–d, 4a–b, 5a–b; TFC Mic. 24450= 2a. Distribution and ecology:— The species has been reported from the northern hemisphere ( China ), and the southern hemisphere ( Australia ). Growing on different angiosperms ( Eucalyptus , Quercu s). Occurring in summer ( Beaton & Weste 1978 , Spooner 1987 , Liu et al . 2006 ). The ecology of the species is curiously very different in Macaronesia, where it was found in Euphorbia scrubs between 130 and 337 m . The phenology is broader (winter to summer), and it has only been found on the succulent Euphorbia canariensis , never on non-succulent woody substrates. Remarks:— This species has been described and illustrated as ‘ Hyalinia scolecospora’ from the holotype ( Beaton & Weste 1978 ), revised by Spooner (1987) , and from a Chinese collection, when it was combined by one of us (H.B.) in the genus Orbilia ( Liu et al. 2006 ) . The length of ascospores in the holotype ( Beaton & Weste 1978 ) is larger compared to the other collections (15 μm vs. 7.8–10.4 μm), but when comparing the drawing in the original diagnosis, the length is ~10 μm, being possible 15 μm only if we take into account the curvature of ascospore. Our measurements and general morphology fit well the collections mentioned ( Beaton & Weste 1978 , Spooner 1987 , Liu et al. 2006 ), with slight differences: (1) the spore bodies in our sample are larger in respect to Liu et al. (2006) (*2.6–3.7 μm vs. *1–1.8 μm), and (2) the dead asci are longer in respect to the other diagnoses (†33–53 μm vs. †24–33 μm). Orbilia scolecospora could be confused with O. crenatomarginata (Höhn.) Sacc. & Trotter , but asci and ascospores of the latter are shorter (†33–53 μm vs. 25 μm, †6.5–9.5 μm vs. 6–8 μm, respectively) ( Saccardo & Trotter 1913 ). Orbilia vermiformis Baral, Z.F. Yu & K.Q. Zhang is also similar, but differs in its wider asci (*3.8–5 μm) and ascospores (*1–1.5 μm), and it does not have glassy processes forming teeth ( Yu et al. 2007 ).