''Blastocladia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of aquatic

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

Description

''Blastocladia'' species have a

thallus Thallus (plural: thalli), from Latinized Greek (), meaning "a green shoot" or "twig", is the vegetative tissue of some organisms in diverse groups such as algae, fungi, some liverworts, lichens, and the Myxogastria. Many of these organisms wer ...

that consists of a single, branched basal cell or trunk with

rhizoid Rhizoids are protuberances that extend from the lower epidermal cells of bryophytes and algae. They are similar in structure and function to the root hairs of vascular land plants. Similar structures are formed by some fungi. Rhizoids may be unic ...

s at one end and

sporangia A sporangium (; from Late Latin, ) is an enclosure in which spores are formed. It can be composed of a single cell or can be multicellular. Virtually all plants, fungi, and many other lineages form sporangia at some point in their life cy ...

at the other. They are not able to use

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...

, although its presence does not inhibit growth.

Habitat

Members of ''Blastocladia'' grow on submerged twigs and fruit.

Taxonomy

''Blastocladia'' was

circumscribed In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon. The center of this circle is called the circumcenter and its radius is called the circumradius. Not every polyg ...

by German scientist

Paul Friedrich Reinsch Paul Friedrich Reinsch (21 March 1836, in Kirchenlamitz – 31 January 1914, in Erlangen) was a German phycologist and paleontologist. Biography He studied natural sciences in Munich and Erlangen, afterwards working as a high school teacher in E ...

in 1877, who included a single species, '' Blastocladia pringsheimii''.

Roland Thaxter Roland Thaxter (August 28, 1858 – April 22, 1932) was an American mycologist, plant pathologist, botanist, and entomologist, renowned for his contribution to the insect parasitic fungi—Laboulbeniales. His college education was completed at Har ...

added a second species, '' B. ramosa'' in 1896. He placed the genus provisionally in the

Pythiaceae Pythiaceae is a family of water moulds. The family includes serious plant and animal pathogens in the genus ''Pythium''. The family was circumscribed by German mycologist Joseph Schröter in 1893. Lifecycle *Live on land (terrestrial), and in wa ...

owing to its resemblance of its

resting spore A resting spore is a resistant cell, used to survive adverse environmental conditions. Resting spore is a term commonly applied to both diatoms and fungi. In fungi A resting spore can be a spore created by fungi which is thickly encysted (has a t ...

s to the

conidia A conidium ( ; ), sometimes termed an asexual chlamydospore or chlamydoconidium (), is an asexual, non-motile spore of a fungus. The word ''conidium'' comes from the Ancient Greek word for dust, ('). They are also called mitospores due to the ...

of some members of the genus ''

Pythium ''Pythium'' is a genus of parasitic oomycetes. They were formerly classified as fungi. Most species are plant parasites, but ''Pythium insidiosum'' is an important pathogen of animals, causing pythiosis. The feet of the fungus gnat are frequent ...

''.

Joseph Schröter Joseph Schröter (14 March 1837 – 12 December 1894) was a noted German mycologist, doctor and scientist. He wrote several books and texts, and discovered and described many species of flora and fungi. He also spent around fifteen years, from 187 ...

(1897) included it with the water mold family Leptomitaceae.

Species

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 30 species in ''Blastocladia'': *'' Blastocladia angusta'' A.Lund 1934 *'' Blastocladia arborata'' S.N.Dasgupta & R.John 1989 *'' Blastocladia aspergilloides'' Crooks 1937 *'' Blastocladia bonaerensis'' Steciow & Marano 2006 – Argentina *'' Blastocladia caduca'' S.N.Dasgupta & R.John 1989 *'' Blastocladia coronata'' S.N.Dasgupta & R.John 1989 *'' Blastocladia didyma'' S.N.Dasgupta & R.John 1989 *''

Blastocladia elegans ''Blastocladia'' is a genus of aquatic fungi. Description ''Blastocladia'' species have a thallus that consists of a single, branched basal cell or trunk with rhizoids at one end and sporangia at the other. They are not able to use oxygen, altho ...

'' S.N.Dasgupta & R.John 1989 *'' Blastocladia excelsa'' S.N.Dasgupta & R.John 1989 *''

Blastocladia filamentosa ''Blastocladia'' is a genus of aquatic fungi. Description ''Blastocladia'' species have a thallus that consists of a single, branched basal cell or trunk with rhizoids at one end and sporangia at the other. They are not able to use oxygen, altho ...

'' S.N.Dasgupta & R.John 1989 *''

Blastocladia fruticosa ''Blastocladia'' is a genus of aquatic fungi. Description ''Blastocladia'' species have a thallus that consists of a single, branched basal cell or trunk with rhizoids at one end and sporangia at the other. They are not able to use oxygen, altho ...

'' S.N.Dasgupta & R.John 1989 *''

Blastocladia fusiformis ''Blastocladia'' is a genus of aquatic fungi. Description ''Blastocladia'' species have a thallus that consists of a single, branched basal cell or trunk with rhizoids at one end and sporangia at the other. They are not able to use oxygen, altho ...

'' S.N.Dasgupta & R.John 1989 *''

Blastocladia globosa ''Blastocladia'' is a genus of aquatic fungi. Description ''Blastocladia'' species have a thallus that consists of a single, branched basal cell or trunk with rhizoids at one end and sporangia at the other. They are not able to use oxygen, altho ...

'' Kanouse 1927 *'' Blastocladia glomerata'' Sparrow 1936 *'' Blastocladia gracilis'' Kanouse 1927 *'' Blastocladia heterosporangia'' S.N.Dasgupta & R.John 1989 *'' Blastocladia incrassata'' Indoh 1940 *'' Blastocladia mammillata'' S.N.Dasgupta & R.John 1989 *'' Blastocladia pileota'' S.N.Dasgupta & R.John 1989 *'' Blastocladia pringsheimii'' Reinsch 1877 *'' Blastocladia prolifera'' Minden 1912 *'' Blastocladia pusilla'' S.N.Dasgupta & R.John 1989 *'' Blastocladia ramosa'' Thaxt. 1896 *'' Blastocladia rostrata'' Minden 1912 *'' Blastocladia sessilis'' S.N.Dasgupta & R.John 1989 *'' Blastocladia sparrowii'' Indoh 1940 *'' Blastocladia spiciformis'' S.N.Dasgupta & R.John 1989 *'' Blastocladia strangulata'' Barrett 1912 *'' Blastocladia tenuis'' Kanouse 1927 *'' Blastocladia truncata'' Sparrow 1932

References

External links

* Aquatic fungi Blastocladiomycota Fungus genera {{Blastocladiomycota-stub