''Banksiamyces toomansis'' is a species of

fungus 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 th ...

in the family

Helotiaceae The Helotiaceae are a family of fungi in the order Helotiales. The distribution of species in the family are widespread, and typically found in tropical areas. There are 117 genera and 826 species in the family. A question mark after the genus ...

. It was first described as ''Tympanis toomansis'' by

Miles Joseph Berkeley Miles Joseph Berkeley (1 April 1803 – 30 July 1889) was an English cryptogamist and clergyman, and one of the founders of the science of plant pathology. Life Berkeley was born at Biggin Hall, Benefield, Northamptonshire, and educated at R ...

and

Christopher Edmund Broome Christopher Edmund Broome (24 July 1812 – 15 November 1886) was a British mycologist. Background and education C.E. Broome was born in Berkhamsted, the son of a solicitor. He was privately schooled in Kensington and in 1832 was sent to read ...

in 1886, and transferred to the genus '' Encoelia'' in 1957 by

R.W.G. Dennis Richard William George Dennis, PhD (13 July 1910 – 7 June 2003), was an English mycologist and plant pathologist. Background and education Dennis was born in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, the son of a schoolmaster. He was educated at Thorn ...

. Gordon William Beaton transferred it to ''

Banksiamyces ''Banksiamyces'' is a genus of fungi in the order Helotiales, with a tentative placement in the family Helotiaceae. The genus contains four species, which grow on the seed follicles of the dead infructescences or "cones" of various species of '' ...

'' in 1982. The fungus grows on dead ''

Banksia ''Banksia'' is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes, and fruiting "cones" and heads. ''Banksias'' range i ...

'' cones, and has a distribution limited to Australia. The disc-shaped fruitbodies of the fungus have dimensions of about , and are light grey to dark charcoal grey. They are attached to the cones by stalks up to long. Its

ascospore An ascus (; ) is the sexual spore-bearing cell produced in ascomycete fungi. Each ascus usually contains eight ascospores (or octad), produced by meiosis followed, in most species, by a mitotic cell division. However, asci in some genera or s ...

s can range in shape from elliptical to cylindrical, and have dimensions of 6–10 by 2.5–3 µm. The type collection of ''B. toomansis'' was found on a cone of ''

Banksia marginata ''Banksia marginata'', commonly known as the silver banksia, is a species of tree or woody shrub in the plant genus ''Banksia'' found throughout much of southeastern Australia. It ranges from the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia to north of Arm ...

'' on the banks of the

Tooma River Tooma River, a perennial stream that has had some of its flow diverted as a result of the Snowy Mountains Scheme, is part of the Murray catchment within the Murray–Darling basin and is located in the Australian Alpine region of New South Wale ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. Unlike some other ''Banksiamyces'' species that are restricted to a single

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

, ''B. toomansis'' has a wider host range. It has been recovered from a cone of ''

Banksia sphaerocarpa ''Banksia sphaerocarpa'', commonly known as the fox banksia or round-fruit banksia, is a species of shrub or tree in the plant genus ''Banksia'' (family Proteaceae). It is generally encountered as a high shrub, and is usually smaller in the nor ...

'' from near

Busselton Busselton is a city in the South West region of the state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destination for Western Australians; however, the closure of the Busselton ...

in Western Australia, '' B. nutans'', '' B. pulchella'', '' B. speciosa'', and '' B. occidentalis'', all from Mount Merivale, east of Esperance, '' B. baxteri'' cultivated at

Cranbourne Botanic Gardens The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria at Cranbourne Gardens, is a division of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (the second division being the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, located in the centre of Melbourne). It is located in the suburb of C ...

, ''B. integrifolia'' from the Blue Mountains, and ''B. marginata'' from

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island, also known as Karta Pintingga (literally 'Island of the Dead' in the language of the Kaurna people), is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest ...

Synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

include ''Tympanis toomansis'' Berk. & Br., and ''Encoelia toomansis'' (Berk. & Br.).

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q10426087 Fungi native to Australia Fungi described in 1886 Helotiales Taxa named by Miles Joseph Berkeley Taxa named by Christopher Edmund Broome