Hypocreopsis

Hypocreopsis is a genus of ascomycete fungi that form stromata on the stems of trees and shrubs. The stromata are orange-brown and consist of radiating, perithecial lobes.

Hypocreopsis
Hypocreopsis rhododendri on hazel stem
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Class:	Sordariomycetes
Order:	Hypocreales
Family:	Hypocreaceae
Genus:	Hypocreopsis P.Karst (1873)
Type species
Hypocreopsis lichenoides (Tode) Seaver (1910)

Species

The genus includes three species:[1]

• Hypocreopsis amplectens
• Hypocreopsis lichenoides
• Hypocreopsis rhododendri

The species are macroscopically similar, other than the fact that H. lichenoides may develop brown mealy patches of conidia on the surface of its lobes.[1][2] The species may however be distinguished by their spore morphology: H. lichenoides has ellipsoid to short-fusiform, 1-septate spores;[3] H. rhododendri has globose, 0-1 septate spores,[3] and H. amplectens has cylindric, 2-3 septate spores.[1]

Distribution

Hypocreopsis amplectens and H. rhododendri are restricted to an oceanic climate. Hypocreopsis rhododendri occurs on the western fringe of Europe, and has also been recorded historically from the Appalachian mountains in the eastern USA, and H. amplectens has been found at just four sites in Australia and New Zealand.[1]

Hypocreopsis lichenoides is found across a wider climatic range, occurring in temperate-to-polar climates across the northern hemisphere.

References

1. Johnston, P.R., May, T.W., Park, D. and Horak, E. (2007) Hypocreopsis amplectens sp. nov., a rare fungus from New Zealand and Australia. New Zealand Journal of Botany, 45, 715–719.
2. Niemelä, T. and Nordin, I. (1985) Hypocreopsis lichenoides (Ascomycetes) in northern Europe. Karstenia, 25, 75–80.
3. Rossman, A.Y., Samuels, G.J., Rogerson, C.T. and Lowen, R. (1999) Genera of Bionectriaceae, Hypocreaceae and Nectriaceae (Hypocreales, Ascomycetes). Studies in Mycology, 42, 1–248.

External links

• Hypocreopsis in Index Fungorum