Diedickea
Diedickea Syd. & P. Syd., Leafl. of Philipp. Bot. 6: 1931 (1913)
Ascomycota, genera incertae sedis
Saprobic or parasitic on the host plant in terrestrial habitat. Sexual morph: undetermined. Asexual morph: Conidiomata dark brown, pycnothyrial, solitary to gregarious or confluent, superficial, orbicular in outline, hemispherical in section, unilocular, glabrous. Ostiole absent, opening by a stellate split in the apical wall. Conidiomatal wall membranous, only a few cells thick, with cells of outer layer more or less elongated, dark brown, thick-walled; only a thin pellicle covers the floor of the pycnothyrium. Conidiophores reduced to conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells hyaline, enteroblastic, phialidic, ampulliform, determinate, smooth-walled, with minute collarette and narrow channel. Conidia hyaline, oblong, with obtuse apex and truncate base, straight, unicellular, smooth-walled, guttulate, discharged in a mucoid mass (adapted from Morgan-Jones 1977).
Type species: Diedickea singularis Syd. & P. Syd., Leafl. Philipp. Bot. 6: 1931 (1913)
Notes: Diedickea is characterized by pycnothyrial conidiomata without an ostiole, but opening by a stellate split in the apical wall, and phialidic, ampulliform conidiogenous cells lining only the cavity of the upper wall. This genus share similar morphology of conidiomata with Abropelta, Peltistromella, Poropeltis, and Tracylla. The differences among these genera are discussed under Tracylla. Morgan-Jones (1977) re-described and illustrated the genus. Four taxa are listed in Index Fungorum (2019). The biology of Diedickea species is poorly known. Bonar (1942) reported D. piceae Bonar was associated with yellowing and discoloration of the leaves and early leaf fall of Picea sitchensis (Pinaceae). The taxonomy of Diedickea needs further investigation based on fresh collections and molecular data.
Distribution: Canada, Dominican Republic, Sierra Leone.
Diedickea singularis (redrawn from Nag Raj 1977) a Vertical section of conidioma. b Conidiogenous cells and developing conidia formed from the upper wall. c Enlarged view of conidiomatal suface. d Conidia.
References:
Li WJ, McKenZie EHC, Liu JK, Bhat DJ, Dai DQ, Caporesi E, Tian Q, Maharachcikumbura SSN, Luo ZL, Shang QJ, Zhang JF, Tangthirasunun N, Karunarathna SC, Xu JC, Hyde KD (2020) Taxonomy and phylogeny of hyaline-spored coelomycetes. Fungal Diversity 100: pages279–801.
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