''Mucronella'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

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

in the family

Clavariaceae The Clavariaceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. Originally the family contained most of the clavarioid fungi (club and coral fungi), but in its current sense is more restricted, albeit with a greater diversity of basidiocarp (fru ...

. Species in the genus resemble awl-shaped teeth that grow in groups without a common subiculum (supporting layer of

mycelium Mycelium (plural mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are found in and on soil and many other substrates. A typical single spore germinates in ...

Taxonomy

The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen( ...

was originally named ''Hydnum calvum'' in a collaborative effort by the German botanist

Johannes Baptista von Albertini Johannes Baptista von Albertini (17 February 1769 – 6 December 1831) was a German botanist, mycologist and clergyman of the Moravian Church. He was born in the town of Neuwied. He studied theology in Niesky and at the seminary in Barby. Durin ...

and the American

Lewis David de Schweinitz Lewis David de Schweinitz (13 February 1780 – 8 February 1834) was a German-American botanist and mycologist. He is considered by some the "Father of North American Mycology", but also made significant contributions to botany. Education B ...

in 1805. Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries transferred the species to the newly described genus ''Mucronella'' in 1874.

Molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

analysis suggests that the genus is

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic ...

, and is

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

to the remainder of the Clavariaceae, confirming earlier suspicions that the taxa were phylogenetically related. It had previously been placed in the

Russulales The Russulales are an order of the Agaricomycetes, (which include the agaric genera ''Russula'' and ''Lactarius'' and their polyporoid and corticioid relatives). According to the ''Dictionary of the Fungi'' (10th edition, 2008), the order consist ...

due to its

amyloid Amyloids are aggregates of proteins characterised by a fibrillar morphology of 7–13 nm in diameter, a beta sheet (β-sheet) secondary structure (known as cross-β) and ability to be stained by particular dyes, such as Congo red. In the hu ...

spores, and its morphological similarity to some members of genus '' Hericium''.

Description

Fruitbodies of ''Mucronella'' species resemble hanging spines; they occur singly, scattered, or in groups. Colors range from white to yellow to orange. ''Mucronella'' has a monomitic

hypha A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one o ...

l system —consisting of only generative hyphae. The

basidia A basidium () is a microscopic sporangium (a spore-producing structure) found on the hymenophore of fruiting bodies of basidiomycete fungi which are also called tertiary mycelium, developed from secondary mycelium. Tertiary mycelium is highly- ...

(spore-bearing cells) are four-spored and club shaped.

Basidiospore A basidiospore is a reproductive spore produced by Basidiomycete fungi, a grouping that includes mushrooms, shelf fungi, rusts, and smuts. Basidiospores typically each contain one haploid nucleus that is the product of meiosis, and they are p ...

s are usually smooth with thin walls, weakly amyloid, and somewhat

hyaline A hyaline substance is one with a glassy appearance. The word is derived from el, ὑάλινος, translit=hyálinos, lit=transparent, and el, ὕαλος, translit=hýalos, lit=crystal, glass, label=none. Histopathology Hyaline cartilage is ...

(translucent). ''Mucronella'' is the sole genus in the Clavariaceae with amyloid spores, and with the "hanging spine" fruitbody morphology.

Habitat and distribution

''Mucronella'' species are

saprotrophic Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi ( ...

Kartar Singh Thind Kartar Singh Thind (30 October 1917 – 3 December 1991) was a scientist of botanical sciences. He was born on in village Saidpur, Tehsil Sultanpur Lodhi, District Kapurthala, Punjab, India ,in a Thind clan of Kamboj family. A scientist ...

and I.P.S. Khurana identified five species from the northwestern

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over ...

, India, in 1974: '' M. bresadolae'', '' M. calva'', '' M. flava'', '' M. subalpina'', and '' M. pulchra''.

Species

2011-11-22 Mucronella flava Corner 183988

Index Fungorum ''Index Fungorum'' is an international project to index all formal names (scientific names) in the fungus kingdom. the project is based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, one of three partners along with Landcare Research and the Institute of M ...

accepts 17 species of ''Mucronella'': *'' Mucronella albidula'' (Corner) Berthier 1985 *'' Mucronella argentina'' Speg. 1898 – South America *'' Mucronella belalongensis'' P.Roberts 1998 –

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

*'' Mucronella brasiliensis'' Corner 1950 – South America *''

Mucronella bresadolae ''Mucronella bresadolae'' is a species of fungus in the family Clavariaceae. It was originally described by French mycologist Lucien Quélet in 1888 as ''Clavaria bresadolae''. E.J.H. Corner transferred it to the genus ''Mucronella ''Muc ...

'' (Quél.) Corner 1970 *''

Mucronella calva ''Mucronella'' is a genus of fungi in the family Clavariaceae. Species in the genus resemble awl-shaped teeth that grow in groups without a common subiculum (supporting layer of mycelium). Taxonomy The type species was originally named ''Hydn ...

'' (Alb. & Schwein.) Fr. 1874 *'' Mucronella flava'' Corner 1953 *'' Mucronella fusiformis'' (Kauffman) K.A.Harrison 1972 *'' Mucronella minutissima'' Peck 1891 *'' Mucronella pendula'' (Massee) R.H.Petersen 1980 – Australia *'' Mucronella polyporacea'' Velen. 1922 – Europe *'' Mucronella pulchra'' Corner 1970 – Pakistan *'' Mucronella pusilla'' Corner 1950 *'' Mucronella ramosa'' Lloyd 1922 *'' Mucronella styriaca'' Maas Geest. 1977 – Europe *'' Mucronella subalpina'' K.S.Thind & Khurana 1974 – India *'' Mucronella togoensis'' Henn. 1897 – Africa

References

External links