The Physalacriaceae are a
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 ...
of
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 ...
in the order
Agaricales. Species in the family have a widespread distribution, ranging from the Arctic, (''
Rhizomarasmius''), to the
tropics
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referr ...
, e.g. ''
Gloiocephala'', and from marine sites (''
Mycaureola'') and fresh waters (''
Gloiocephala'') to semiarid forests (''
Xerula'').
Description
Most species in the Physalacriaceae form
fruit bodies
The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...
with
caps
Caps are flat headgear.
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and
stipes. They have a monomitic
hyphal system (wherein only generative hypha are produced), and
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), rec ...
s are present in the hyphae.
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- ...
(spore-bearing cells) are club-shaped with two to four
sterigmata
In biology, a sterigma (pl. sterigmata) is a small supporting structure.
It commonly refers to an extension of the basidium (the spore-bearing cells) consisting of a basal filamentous part and a slender projection which carries a spore at the ti ...
. The
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 ...
s generally have
ellipsoidal, spindle-like (fusiform), cylindrical, or tear-drop (lacrimiform) shapes; they are thin-walled,
hyaline, and do not react with
Melzer's reagent
Melzer's reagent (also known as Melzer's iodine reagent, Melzer's solution or informally as Melzer's) is a chemical reagent used by mycologists to assist with the identification of fungi, and by phytopathologists for fungi that are plant pathogens ...
.
The family also contains
corticioid fungi
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 ...
(in genus ''
Cylindrobasidium'') and a
secotioid
Secotioid fungi are an intermediate growth form between mushroom-like hymenomycetes and closed bag-shaped gasteromycetes, where an evolutionary process of gasteromycetation has started but not run to completion. Secotioid fungi may or may not ...
species (''
Guyanagaster necrorhiza'').
Taxonomy
The family was originally defined by English mycologist
E.J.H. Corner in 1970
and revised in 1985 by Jacques Berthier
but neither author anticipated the application to a molecularly defined group of agarics first identified by Moncalvo and others in 2002.
studies placed ''
Physalacria'', formerly the sole genus in this family, together with the agaric genera ''
Flammulina
''Flammulina'' is a genus of fungi in the family Physalacriaceae. The genus, widespread in temperate regions, has been estimated to contain 10 species.
List of species
* '' Flammulina callistosporioides''
* '' Flammulina elastica''
* '' Flamm ...
'' and ''
Xerula'' and ''
Armillaria
''Armillaria'' is a genus of fungi that includes the ''Armillaria mellea, A. mellea'' species known as honey fungi that live on trees and woody shrubs. It includes about 10 species formerly categorized summarily as ''A. mellea''. ''Armill ...
''. Due to the precedence rules based on date of publication, the family name "Physalacriaceae" became applicable for all these fungi, making the former family "Xerulaceae" obsolete.
Genera
See also
*
List of Agaricales families
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3041113
Agaricales families
Taxa named by E. J. H. Corner
Taxa described in 1970