''Myriothele'' is a fungal

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 ...

in the family

Polyporaceae The Polyporaceae are a family of poroid fungi belonging to the Basidiomycota. The flesh of their fruit bodies varies from soft (as in the case of the dryad's saddle illustrated) to very tough. Most members of this family have their hymeniu ...

. It is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

genus, consisting of the single species ''Myriothele philippiae'', a toothed

crust fungus The corticioid fungi are a group of fungi in the Basidiomycota typically having effused, smooth basidiocarps (fruit bodies) that are formed on the undersides of dead tree trunks or branches. They are sometimes colloquially called crust fungi or pa ...

found in

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...

Taxonomy

''Myriothele philippiae'' was originally described by mycologists Jacques Boidin and Gérard Gilles in 2000 as a member of the genus '' Epithele''. In a 2013 review of the genus, Karen Nakasone noted several uniques features found in this species that were not characteristic of ''Epithele'', and she proposed a new genus and

new combination ''Combinatio nova'', abbreviated ''comb. nov.'' (sometimes ''n. comb.''), is Latin for "new combination". It is used in taxonomic biology literature when a new name is introduced based on a pre-existing name. The term should not to be confused wi ...

. The generic name, derived from the Greek words ''myrio''- ("countless" or "very many" and ''thele'' ("nipple"), refers to the numerous hyphal pegs. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''philippiae'' refers to the host plant ''

Philippia ''Philippia'' is a genus of plant in family Ericaceae. Its species range from southern to tropical Africa, Madagascar, and the Mascarene Islands. ''Philippia'' is a characteristic Afromontane genus in southern and eastern Africa, found in montane ...

''. Although Nakasone refers to the fungus as "clearly not related to ''Epithele'' or the Polyporales", Index Fungorum classifies the species as a member of the family

Description

The

fruit body In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the Ovary (plants), ovary after flowering plant, flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their ...

of a ''Myriothele'' fungus is in the form of thick, soft crust. The fertile,

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

-bearing part of the crust surface, or

hymenium The hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some ...

, features "teeth" that originate from hyphal pegs. Hyphal pegs are bundles of hyphae that originate in the trama and project into the hymenium. The

hypha A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one or ...

l system is monomitic, meaning that there are only generative hyphae, and these hyphae have clamp connections. The subhymenium (a supportive tissue underneath the hymenium) consists of upright hyphidia, cystidia, and hyphae. The basidia (spore-bearing cells) are distinctly urniform (urn-like), clamped at the base, and have four sterigmata. The spores are broadly

ellipsoid An ellipsoid is a surface that may be obtained from a sphere by deforming it by means of directional scalings, or more generally, of an affine transformation. An ellipsoid is a quadric surface; that is, a surface that may be defined as the ...

to roughly spherical in shape with

hyaline A hyaline substance is one with a glassy appearance. The word is derived from el, ὑάλινος, translit=hyálinos, lit=transparent, and el, ὕαλος, translit=hýalos, lit=crystal, glass, label=none. Histopathology Hyaline cartilage is ...

, smooth, acyanophilous, and inamyloid walls. These walls swell in a solution of

potassium hydroxide Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula K OH, and is commonly called caustic potash. Along with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), KOH is a prototypical strong base. It has many industrial and niche applications, most of which exp ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q28185348 Fungi of Africa Polyporaceae Monotypic Polyporales genera Taxa described in 2013