''Leotia'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of cup

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

of the division

Ascomycota Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The def ...

. ''Leotia'' species are globally distributed, and are believed to be

ectomycorrhizal An ectomycorrhiza (from Greek ἐκτός ', "outside", μύκης ', "fungus", and ῥίζα ', "root"; ectomycorrhizas or ectomycorrhizae, abbreviated EcM) is a form of symbiotic relationship that occurs between a fungal symbiont, or mycobion ...

. They are commonly known as ''jelly babies'' because of the gelatinous texture of their fruiting bodies.

Biology

''Leotia'' species are characterized by their capitate

ascocarp An ascocarp, or ascoma (: ascomata), is the fruiting body ( sporocarp) of an ascomycete phylum fungus. It consists of very tightly interwoven hyphae and millions of embedded asci, each of which typically contains four to eight ascospores. Ascoc ...

s. Within the class

Leotiomycetes The Leotiomycetes are a class of ascomycete fungi. Many of them cause serious plant diseases. Systematics The class Leotiomycetes contains numerous species with an anamorph placed within the '' fungi imperfecti'' (deuteromycota), that have onl ...

, ''Leotia'' species produce large fruiting bodies; their long-stalked

apothecia An ascocarp, or ascoma (: ascomata), is the fruiting body ( sporocarp) of an ascomycete phylum fungus. It consists of very tightly interwoven hyphae and millions of embedded asci, each of which typically contains four to eight ascospores. As ...

bear a fertile layer of asci that covers the upper surface of a mushroom-like cap. ''Leotia'' is closely related to ''

Microglossum ''Microglossum'' is a genus of fungi in the family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis ...

'', another genus characterized by capitate ascocarps. The species of ''Leotia'' have traditionally been defined largely by the fresh color of the ascocarps (tan in ''L. lubrica'', olive-green in ''L. atrovirens'', and green-headed with a yellow stalk in ''L. viscosa''). However, a molecular

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

study revealed that color is a poor predictor of species affiliation, suggesting further study is needed to develop new, more predictive species concepts.

Biology

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References

External links