''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 rhizoids 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 in 1877, who included a single species, ''

Blastocladia pringsheimii ''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, alth ...

''.

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 owing to its resemblance of its resting spores 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''. Joseph Schröter (1897) included it with the water mold family Leptomitaceae.

Species

, Index Fungorum accepts 30 species in ''Blastocladia'': *''

Blastocladia angusta ''Blastocladia angusta'' is a species of fungus. External links Mycobank entry
Fungi described in 1834 Blastocladiomycota {{Blastocladiomycota-stub ...

'' A.Lund 1934 *'' Blastocladia arborata'' S.N.Dasgupta & R.John 1989 *'' Blastocladia aspergilloides'' Crooks 1937 *''

Blastocladia bonaerensis ''Blastocladia bonaerensis'' is a species of aquatic fungus from Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an are ...

'' Steciow & Marano 2006 – Argentina *''

Blastocladia caduca ''Blastocladia caduca'' is a species of fungus from India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous ...