Flora of New Zealand Series

Type : Calicium parietinum Ach. [=Mycocalicium subtile (Pers.) Szatala]

Description : Thallus saprophytic. Ascomata apothecia, stalked, black to brownish black. Capitulum obovoid to lenticular. Exciple ±well-developed, comprising either dark-brown, periclinally arranged hyphae with almost isodiametric cells 5–15 μm diam., or of anticlinally arranged, branching hyphae with swollen walls. Hymenium covered by a thin layer formed by tips of paraphyses. Stalk of strictly periclinally arranged, rather thin, dark-brown to aeruginose hyphae, or the hyphae are slightly irregularly arranged, hyaline in the central part of the stalk and with swollen walls. Outermost parts of the stalk always formed by periclinally arranged, dark-brown hyphae. Asci cylindrical, 35–65 μm long, formed singly from ascogenous hyphae with croziers, apex strongly and uniformly thickened and persisting until maturity of ascospores; or with a short and broad canal. Mazedium absent. Ascospores simple, usually broadly fusiform, uniseriate in ascus, 5–11 × 3–5 μm, the wall rather thick, dark-brown, smooth or minutely warted.

Mycocalicium is a widely distributed genus occurring in warm to cool temperate areas of both Northern and Southern Hemispheres (Tibell 1984b, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1996b, 1997, 1998a, 1999a; Tibell & Thor 2003). It is included in the family Mycocaliciaceae (Tibell 1984b, 1987, 1990, 1999; Eriksson et al. 2004; Pennycook & Galloway 2004; Eriksson 2005), a family of non-lichenised fungi with active spore dispersal. Ten species are known, occurring as saprophytes on vascular plants. Some are unspecific with respect to substratum, while others have very specific host requirements. Three species are known from New Zealand (Tibell 1987). Anamorphs of M. albonigrum and M. subtile were obtained in culture from ascospores, conidia collected in the field in New Zealand, and conidia produced in culture (Tibell 1990).