''Sarcoleotia'' is a

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 nom ...

of fungi in the earth tongue family Geoglossaceae. There is no known common name.

History

The genus was first described by Japanese mycologists Seiya Ito and Sanshi Imai in 1934, who separated ''Sarcoleotia'' from ''

Leotia ''Leotia'' is a genus of cup fungi of the division Ascomycota. ''Leotia'' species are globally distributed, and are believed to be ectomycorrhizal. They are commonly known as ''jelly babies'' because of the gelatinous texture of their fruiting ...

'' Pers. based on the fleshy, non-gelatinous ascocarps and subcylindrical ascospores. ''Sarcoleotia nigra'' was described as the type species in the same publication from collections made in Hokkaido, Japan. Maas Geesteranus created ''S. platypus'' by transferring ''Helvella platypus'' DC. into the genus. Korf transferred ''Mitrula globosa'' to the genus in 1971, creating ''S. globosa''. Dennis transferred ''Coryne turficola'' to the genus in 1971. Lastly, Rahm reported "Sarcoleotia clandestina" from Switzerland in 1975, but this name is regarded as '' nomen nudum'' as no valid description of the species exists. Some debate exists over the accepted number of species in ''Sarcoleotia''. Maas Geesteranus considered ''S. nigra'' a later synonym of ''S. platypus''. Korf transferred ''S. turficola'' to the genus '' Ascocoryne'' based on gelatinous tissue in the ascocarp. Schumacher and Silvertsen recognized only a single species, ''S. globosa''.Schumacher T, Silvertsen S. 1987. ''Sarcoleotia globosa'' (Sommerf.:Fr.) Korf, taxonomy ecology and distribution. In: Larsen GA, Ammirati JF, Redhead SA (eds.), Arctic and Alpine Mycology 2. Plenum Press, New York and London Recent molecular evidence indicates that the genus is most closely associated with Geoglossaceae.

Habitat and distribution

''Sarcoleotia globosa'' is reported by Schumacher and Silvertsen as having a "more or less transcontinental northern circumpolar boreo-oroarctic and arctic distribution", citing records from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Japan, and Canada. ''S. globosa'' has also been reported from Denmark.Hansen L, Knudsen H. 2000. Nordic Macromycetes Vol. 1: Ascomycetes. Nordsvamp, Copenhagen. ''S. globosa'' is also reported cool

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...

zones ranging from the Pacific Northwestern United States (Washington and

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

) and

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

. ''S. nigra'' was described from Japan and has been reported from Argentina ''S. globosa'' has been reported from both

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an ad ...

areas and rich soil types in Europe, and acidic-nutrient poor soils in North America. ''S. globosa'' has been recorded mostly from disturbed areas and primary or secondary successional habitats, almost always fruiting in areas colonized by

bryophyte The Bryophyta s.l. are a proposed taxonomic division containing three groups of non-vascular land plants (embryophytes): the liverworts, hornworts and mosses. Bryophyta s.s. consists of the mosses only. They are characteristically limited in s ...

s. ''S. globosa'' is also reported from burned sites.

Conservation

The conservation of ''Sarcoleotia'' has not formally been assessed on a global scale, though given its widespread distribution and ability to survive in varied habitats, it is probably of low concern.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10661795 Geoglossaceae Ascomycota genera Taxa described in 1934