''Chlamydosauromyces punctatus'' is the sole species in the monotypic

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 ...

fungi 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 ...

, ''Chlamydosauromyces'' in the family,

Onygenaceae The Onygenaceae are a family of fungi in the Ascomycota, class Eurotiomycetes. Genera These are the genera that are in the Onygenaceae, according to a 2021 review of fungal classification. Following the genus name is the taxonomic authority (t ...

. It was found in the skin shed from frilled lizard. This fungus is mesophilic and digests hair. It reproduces both sexually and asexually. The fungus has so far not been reported to be pathogenic.

Growth and reproduction

Colonies of ''C.'' ''punctatus'' are yellow in the center and relatively flat surface at the pale peripherals with a central bump. This fungus is mesophile and grows at , but does not grow above . This fungus also shows digestion of hairs after 14 days ''in vitro.'' The keratinolytic, or keratin-digesting, capability is one of the characteristics of

. It is also cycloheximide resistant. ''C. punctatus'' can reproduce both in sexual and asexual forms. The

teleomorph In mycology, the terms teleomorph, anamorph, and holomorph apply to portions of the life cycles of fungi in the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota: *Teleomorph: the sexual reproductive stage (morph), typically a fruiting body. *Anamorph: an asex ...

phase is gymnothecial and arises through a homothallic mating system.

Ascomata 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 this species are round, 200–600 μm in diameter containing asci 7–9 (10) μm in length.

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 are yellow, 4–4.5 × 3–3.5 μm in diameter. The

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 look like pitted

smarties Smarties are colour-varied sugar-coated chocolate confectionery. They have been manufactured since 1937, originally by H.I. Rowntree & Company in the United Kingdom, and now by Nestlé. Smarties are oblate spheroids with a minor axis of about ...

or pulley wheels, which is characteristics of

. ''Chlamydosauromyces punctatus'' has branched, narrow, smooth-walled, yellow hyphae, 1.5–2.5 μm in width with thin-walled

septa The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five c ...

. Peripheral hyphae are poorly differentiated and this is the reason that ''C. punctatus'' was once considered in the Gymnoascaceae. Ascomata lack elongate appendages. The cells initiating anastomosis are slightly swollen.

Taxonomy

''Chlamydosauromyces'' is a monotypic genus, which has only single species in the family,

. However, it was initially thought to be affiliated with the family Gymnoascaceae because it possesses

s with equatorial grooves, a common feature of the Gymnoascaceae not normally found in the Onygenaceae. hypha As well, hyphae of this species are sparsely differentiated similar to those of the genus '' Arachniotus'' (Gymnoascaceae). Molecular genetic analyses demonstrated the affiliation of this fungus to the Onygenaceae. The genus ''Chlamydosauromyces'' was named after the frilled lizard, ''Chlamydosaurus kingii'' and the species epithet '''punctatus was selected in reference to the pitted ornamentation of the ascospores. The name ''Chlamydosauromyces punctatus'' is a Latin masculine name. Small subunit (SSU) region in the nuclear ribosomal gene of ''C. punctatus'' is 1,738 nucleotides in length. Phylogenic study based on the sequence have shown '' Renispora flavissima'' to be the closest related taxon. Both are treated within the Ongenaceae and share similar characteristics such as the yellow color, thin walls, narrow

ascomata 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 ...

, and ascospores with pitted walls. Even though these two species are the most closely related to each other, the bootstrap value was low (78%), indicating that the phylogenic similarity is not particularly high. In addition to the phylogenic distance, there are notable morphological differences between the genus ''Chlamydosauromyces'' and '' Renispora''. the hyphae of ''Chlamydosauromyces'' are subhyaline whereas those of '' Renispora'' are hyaline or translucent. Moreover, '' Renispora'' has liver-shaped

s, but

s of ''Chlamydosauromyces'' look like pulley wheels. In addition to the morphological differences between two species of fungi, the conidia of the '' Chrysosporium'' anamorph of ''Renispora'' are large with spiny tubercules and formed on stalks whereas ''Chlamydosauromyces'' produces an asexual state characterized by alternate

arthroconidia Arthroconidia are a type of fungal spore typically produced by segmentation of pre-existing fungal hyphae. Background These spores are asexual and are generally not as durable and environmentally persistent as, for instance, bacterial endospores ...

Ecology

''Chlamydosauromyces punctatus'' was first found in the putatively healthy

Squamate Squamata (, Latin ''squamatus'', 'scaly, having scales') is the largest order of reptiles, comprising lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians (worm lizards), which are collectively known as squamates or scaled reptiles. With over 10,900 species, it ...

reptiles free of cutaneous lesions. The fungus was first isolated in 2001 from the shed skin of a 7-year-old healthy male frilled lizard, '' Chlamydosaurus kingii'', from the San Diego Zoo (the lizard typically lives in trees found in the northern part of the Australia). Among samples of three different

reptiles donated by the Zoo, the skin samples of two of the reptile species did not show any evidence of invasion by the fungus. The ex-type strain of ''C. punctatus'' is in depository a
UAMH 9990.
ref name="UAMHCollectionCatagogue" /> Though unique to reptiles, this species is distinct from the commonly associated fungal pathogens of reptiles. ''C. punctatus'' is associated with the shed skin of healthy lizards free of lesions or symptoms.

References

{{Taxonbar , from = Q5102727 Onygenales Monotypic Eurotiomycetes genera Taxa described in 2002