Lophodermium

Lophodermium aucupariae on rowan

The worldwide spread cleft lip ( Lophodermium ) form with over 145 described species, the largest genus of ascomycete family of Runzelschorfverwandten ( Rhytismataceae ] ). The genus includes both saprophytic, ie living on dead plant material, as well as parasitic species.

Features

Cleft lip always form a fruiting body called a Hysterothecium that is embedded in the host tissue and opens with a narrow lip-shaped gap. The mature fruiting body is bounded inwardly toward the hymenium back and always longer than wide, sometimes oval, but lip-like in the typical case. The asci usually have 8 hyaline, unseptierte spores that are sometimes wound or coiled, and are always much longer than wide, depending on the type varies its length to width ratio of between 10:1 and 15:1. Cleft lip have unbranched elongated paraphyses.

Ecology and distribution

The cleft lip live mainly saprophytic, partly parasitic on various plants. Be colonized hosts from many plant families, but especially many species live on different pine plants with more than 20 different species, but also on grasses and heather -like. Often they are host specific and tied to a type or a specific genre. Some, particularly the species colonize the grasses, but can also infect several plant genera. Economically important forestry is mainly Lophodermium seditiosum, the causative agent of pine Schütte, who lives on pine needles. In the literature it is often Lophodermium pinastri declared as exciting as it also colonized pine needles, but has now proven that he lives as a saprophyte.

Species

Worldwide 145 species are known. The database of fungi Austria lists 8 species. Lophodermium seditiosum it is not included, but very well known in Central Europe

System

As in many comprehensive genera the distinction until recently was not clear. In a recent molecular biological investigation of the Rhytismatales Polyphylie the order has been demonstrated, which she had to be re- circumscribed. Also Lophodermium is polyphyletic and different types were found in all three Hauptklades. The type species Lophodermium arundinaceum together with most types grasbewohnenden a well- supported clade. This rather well-studied group is morphologically homogeneous and should be considered as Lophodermium sensu stricto. Associated with pine and juniper species also form a clade, yet still more research is needed to clarify the taxonomy of these species permanently.