''Sphagnurus'' is a parasitic

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the name "mushroom" is t ...

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

Lyophyllaceae The Lyophyllaceae is a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. A 2008 estimate indicated eight genera and 157 species; , the Catalog of Life lists 13 genera in the family. Lyophyllaceae was circumscribed by mycologist Walter Jülich in 1981. S ...

that creates conspicuous dead patches on peat moss (''

Sphagnum ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...

'') in bogs. The genus contains one species known to inhabit Eurasia and North America. Phylogenetically the genus is closest to, but is isolated from species now classified in the genus ''

Sagaranella ''Sagaranella'' is a mushroom genus in the family Lyophyllaceae that has been segregated from both ''Lyophyllum'' and ''Tephrocybe'' using molecular analyses. The species resemble grey colored ''Collybia''s and grow in nitrogen-rich environments. ...

'' Prior to molecular analyses, the most recent classification put it in the genus ''

Tephrocybe ''Tephrocybe'' is a genus of about 40 species of mushroom, with a widespread distribution in temperate areas. The genus was circumscribed by Dutch mycologist Marinus Anton Donk Marinus Anton Donk (14 August 1908 – 2 September 1972) was a Dutc ...

'', but that genus is allied to ''

Termitomyces ''Termitomyces'' is a genus of basidiomycete fungi belonging to the family Lyophyllaceae. There are 30-40 species in the genus, all of which are completely dependent on termites to survive. They are the food source for a subfamily of termites, th ...

''. ''

Sphagnurus paluster ''Sphagnurus paluster'' is a species of fungus in the family Lyophyllaceae which parasitizes Sphagnum moss. It was first described by Charles Horton Peck in 1872. It is commonly called the sphagnum greyling due to it being found in peat bogs ...

'', the single species in the genus is pale grey and has a mycenoid stature (i.e. has a conical pileus, a narrow elongated stipe and lacks an

annulus Annulus (or anulus) or annular indicates a ring- or donut-shaped area or structure. It may refer to: Human anatomy * ''Anulus fibrosus disci intervertebralis'', spinal structure * Annulus of Zinn, a.k.a. annular tendon or ''anulus tendineus com ...

or volva). Its

basidiospore 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 pro ...

s are

nonamyloid In mycology a tissue or feature is said to be amyloid if it has a positive amyloid reaction when subjected to a crude chemical test using iodine as an ingredient of either Melzer's reagent or Lugol's solution, producing a blue to blue-black stai ...

and smooth. It lacks

cheilocystidia A cystidium (plural cystidia) is a relatively large cell found on the sporocarp of a basidiomycete (for example, on the surface of a mushroom gill), often between clusters of basidia. Since cystidia have highly varied and distinct shapes that ar ...

and pleurocystidia.

Clamp connection A clamp connection is a hook-like structure formed by growing hyphal cells of certain fungi. It is a characteristic feature of Basidiomycetes fungi. It is created to ensure that each cell, or segment of hypha separated by septa (cross walls), rece ...

s are present.

Etymology

The name ''Sphagnurus'' is supposed to be derived from the name of its host ''

'' and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''-urus'', meaning “tail". The ancient Greek word οὐρά however means “tail".Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie.'' Oxford: Clarendon Press.

References

External links

''Sphagnurus paluster''

''Sphagnurus paluster''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q20720785 Lyophyllaceae Monotypic Agaricales genera

Etymology

See also

References

External links