Bloxamia

Abstract

Bloxamia leucophthalma is a relatively common saprophyte on wood and bark, occasionally found growing over lichen thalli. It is characterized by black sporodochia with hyaline, cubic conidia that are produced endogenously in phialides.

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Diederich, Ertz & Braun – Flora of Lichenicolous Fungi – Vol. 2. Hyphomycetes – 2024
Bloxamia Berk. & Broome
Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 13: 468 (1854). Type: B. truncata Berk. &
Broome, i. e., B. leucophthalma (Lév.) Höhn.
Molecular data: yes (T, L). Number of species: 0–0–1 (11).
Notes. As most species strongly resemble the generic type
(see below), no generic description is given here.
Ecology. On wood and bark, occasionally lichenicolous.
Facultative lichenicolous species
Bloxamia leucophthalma (Lév.) Höhn.
Sitzungsber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, Math.-Naturwiss. Kl., Abt. 1 119:
653 (1910); Catinula leucophthalma Lév., Ann. Sci. Nat.,
Bot., Sér. 3 9: 248 (1848). Type: France, Paris, bois de Bou-
logne, on dead wood of cf. Ulmus (PC? – holotype).
= Bloxamia truncata Berk. & Broome, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser.
2 13: 468 (1854). Type: UK, Somerset, Bath, on wood of Ul-
mus montana, 5 March 1852, C. E. Broome (K – holotype).
Colonies dispersed to conuent, black sporodochia, 140–180(–
500) μm diam. Mycelium immersed, hyphae 2–2.5 μm thick;
stroma supercial, pale brown, of long, loosely aggregated
cells. Conidiophores developing over the stroma surface, ma-
cronematous, erect, cylindrical, septate, pale brown, smooth,
unbranched, up to 35 μm long, 2.5–3.5 μm thick. Conidio-
genous cells integrated, terminal, monophialidic, cylindrical,
occasionally percurrently proliferating, 15–32 × 2–3 μm. Co-
nidia endogenous, catenate, aseptate, hyaline, smooth, oblong
to almost cubic, truncate at both ends, 2–4 × 1.5–2.5 μm.
Notes. This is a common and widespread wood and bark
saprophyte that has repeatedly been reported from lichen
thalli. It is characterized by black sporodochia with cylin-
drical phialides and endogenously produced, hyaline, al-
most cubic conidia (Nag Raj & Kendrick 1975).
Ecology and hosts. On wood and bark, e. g., of Ulmus, fac-
ultative lichenicolous on Aspicilia caesiocinerea, Lepra
albescens, Pertusaria avida and Xanthoria parietina.
Distribution. Europe (incl. France and UK), North Amer-
ica and Oceania. Lichenicolous specimens have been ob-
served in Europe (Austria; France; Germany; Italy; Swit-
zerland) and Macaronesia (Madeira). No map is provided.
Selected specimen examined. Germany: Bavaria: Kreis Weil-
heim-Schongau, Weilheim, Färbergasse, on fallen branches of
Fagus, on Xanthoria parietina, 2021, Zehm (herb. Brackel 8927).
Selected references. Brackel 2014, Zimmermann & Feusi 2023.
References
Brackel, W. von. 2014. Kommentierter Katalog der echtenbewoh-
nenden Pilze Bayerns. Biblioth. Lichenol. 109: 1‒476.
Nag Raj, T. R. & B. Kendrick. 1975. A monograph of Chalara and al-
lied genera. Wilfried Laurier University Press, Waterloo, Canada.
Zimmermann, E. & S. Feusi. 2023. Lichenicole Pilze der Schweiz IX:
Erwähnenswerte Arten aus dem Mittelland. Meylania 72: 19‒34.
Bloxamia
by W. von Brackel, E. Zimmermann & P. Diederich
Brackel, W. von, E. Zimmermann & P. Diederich. 2024. Bloxamia. Flora of Lichenicolous Fungi 2: 94.
Abstract. Bloxamia leucophthalma is a relatively common saprophyte on wood and bark, occasionally found growing over lichen thalli. It is charac-
terized by black sporodochia with hyaline, cubic conidia that are produced endogenously in phialides.
Bloxamia leucophthalma, Switzerland, Zimmermann 1031 (modied from Zimmermann & Feusi 2023). A, Sporodochia on the thallus of Lepra albe-
scens. B, Section through sporodochium, showing cylindrical conidiophores and phialides. C. Conidia. Scale bars: A = 200 μm. B = 10 μm, C = 5 μm.