Key, Species Descriptions and Hosts for Niesslia spp.
Peter Thompson, 02-05-2015 11:50
I wonder if anyone has a key and / or species descriptions for the species in the genus Niesslia. Also information about which species grow on which host would be very helpful.
Walter Gams, 02-05-2015 12:29
Re : Key, Species Descriptions and Hosts for Niesslia spp.
For many years I have been involved in a revision of Niesslia and Monocillium species. I have a manuscript keying out almost 100 teleomorphic and anamorphic species of this genus. None of the so far published keys is presently usable to address a reasonable proportion of the named species. Our work (with Benjamin Stielow for the molecular part) covers some 180 isolates and shows that the genus is still badly undersampled. We think of finishing a first major publication on the genus next year. Until then we continue collecting and isolating material. Particularly species growing on pine needles would be very welcome because on each kind of substrate usually several species are found.
Best regards Walter Gams
Mateusz Wilk, 02-05-2015 15:02
Dear Prof. Gams,
Will you also include Niesslia peltigericola (D. Hawksw.) Etayo, and Niesslia tatjanae (S.Y. Kondr.) Etayo in your molecular work? That would be excellent, because it would be an indirect step to start cleaning in the Wentiomyces genus...
P.S. I'm sorry Peter for asking a question not related to your question, I do not have any info on Niesslia (with exception of the two abovementioned, first one was noted mainly on several species of Peltigera (aphthosa, leucophlebia, fufescens, britannica, scabrosa, didactyla, praetextata), but also from Stereocaulon (rivularis, depressum), second one was recorded from Pseudocyphellaria coronata, Sticta cf. boschiana, and Lobaria sp.)...
Dear Walter,
My sample is on a dead leaf of Typha latifolia (Great Reedmace).
I am not convinced that it is Niesslia exosporioides, which is often found on leaves of Carex in Britain. I thought that I would try to find out if there were any other species with slightly shorter spores, which might grow on Typha.
Dear Mateusz, Glad to hear from you. I do not have living material of the lichenicolous species to be studied with molecular methods and would like to get yours.
Dear Peter, From Typha I know only Niesslia aemula with 4-spored asci. But there may of course be others.
Cheers Walter