''Phaeotremella translucens'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

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

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Phaeotremellaceae The Phaeotremellaceae are a family of fungi in the order Tremellales. The family currently contains two genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as v ...

. It produces small, pustular, gelatinous

basidiocarps In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome, or basidioma () is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do not ...

(fruit bodies) and is

parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...

ascocarps An ascocarp, or ascoma (), is the fruiting body ( sporocarp) of an ascomycete phylum fungus. It consists of very tightly interwoven hyphae and millions of embedded asci, each of which typically contains four to eight ascospores. Ascocarps are mos ...

of '' Lophodermium '' species on decaying pine needles. It was originally described from Scotland.

Taxonomy

''Tremella translucens'' was first published in 1938 by

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy and their use to humans, including as a source for tinder, traditional medicine, food, and entheogens, as w ...

Hugh Douglas Gordon based on collections from Scotland on decaying pine needles. British mycologist David Minter recollected specimens in Scotland in the 1970s and established that ''Tremella translucens'' was associated with ascocarps of '' Lophodermium '' species, transferring the species to the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

''Pseudostypella'' based on morphological characters. American mycologist

Robert Joseph Bandoni Robert Joseph Bandoni (11 November 1926 – 5 May 2009) was a mycologist who specialized on the taxonomy and morphology of the heterobasidiomycetes (“jelly fungi”). During his 50 years as professor at the University of British Columbia, ...

later transferred the species to his new genus '' Sirotrema''.

Molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioch ...

research, based on

cladistic Cladistics (; ) is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups (" clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is typically shared derived ch ...

analysis of

DNA sequences A nucleic acid sequence is a succession of bases signified by a series of a set of five different letters that indicate the order of nucleotides forming alleles within a DNA (using GACT) or RNA (GACU) molecule. By convention, sequences are usu ...

, has however shown that ''Tremella translucens'' belongs in the genus ''

Phaeotremella ''Phaeotremella'' is a genus of fungi in the family Phaeotremellaceae. All ''Phaeotremella'' species are parasites of other fungi and produce anamorphic yeast states. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies), when produced, are gelatinous and are colloq ...

''.

Description

Fruit bodies are gelatinous, hyaline (colourless) to greyish, up to 2 mm across, pustular, emerging from ascocarps of their host. Microscopically, 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 o ...

e are clamped and occur in a gelatinous matrix. Haustorial cells arise on the hyphae, producing filaments that attach to and penetrate the hyphae of the host. The

basidia A basidium () is a microscopic sporangium (a spore-producing structure) found on the hymenophore of fruiting bodies of basidiomycete fungi which are also called tertiary mycelium, developed from secondary mycelium. Tertiary mycelium is highly- ...

are tremelloid (globose to ellipsoid, with oblique to vertical septa), 10 to 13 by 9 to 10

μm The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Uni ...

, usually unstalked. The

basidiospores A basidiospore is a reproductive spore produced by Basidiomycete fungi, a grouping that includes mushrooms, shelf fungi, rusts, and smuts. Basidiospores typically each contain one haploid nucleus that is the product of meiosis, and they are ...

are oblong, smooth, 7 to 11 by 3 to 5.5 μm, and germinate by hyphal tube or by

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to consti ...

cells.

Habitat and distribution

''Phaeotremella translucens'' is a parasite of ''

Lophodermium ''Lophodermium'' is a genus of fungi within the family Rhytismataceae. The genus contains 145 species and has a global distribution. Species of this genus are usually observed producing zone lines, conidiomata and ascomata on dead fallen leaves, ...

'' species growing on decaying pine needles, typically those still attached to brash or branches. The species was originally described from the United Kingdom, but has also been recorded in Europe from Austria, Bosnia, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Russia, and Spain. Elsewhere it has been recorded from Canada, New Zealand, and Japan.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q124293971 Tremellomycetes Fungi described in 1938 Fungi of North America Fungi of Europe Fungi of Asia Fungus species