Hymenomycetes:Gasteromycetes
Mycology (Bio 594, Special Topics)M. Marshall, 2013Shippensburg University(See last slide for additional credits)
Gasteromycetes
• Basidiospores mature inside basidiocarp• Basidiospores not forcibly discharged
(statismospores)• Do not comprise a monophyletic (natural)
group; these forms have evolved at least four different times
• Wide range of different types of basidiocarps, both epigeous and hypogeous
Orders
• Lycoperdales – puffballs• Tulostomatales – stalked puffballs• Sclerodermatales – earth balls• Phallales – stink horns• Nidulariales – bird’s nest fungi
Terminology
• Statismospores– Basidiospores
that are formed symmetrically on sterigmata and are not forcibly discharged
• Gleba– Fertile portion, contains
basidia and basidiospores– May contain capillitium
(coarse, thick-walled hyphae) intersperced
Image of Calvatia gigantea from Eugen Gramberg (1913) Pilze unserer Heimatwww.bioimages.org.uk/.../ 01-10-07/01J07K+3.jpg
More Terminology
• Peridioles– Small structures
containing basidiospores and basidia , may be actively ejected by rain splash, etc.
• Peridium– Outer covering of
basidiocarp; may be multilayered
Even more Terminology
Order Lycoperdales
• Includes common puffballs and earthstars• World-wide distribution• Most species are saprotrophs, some are
mycorrhizal
Lycoperdales Morphology
• Basidiocarps often have sterile subgleba that gives them a stalked appearance
• Peridium consists of 2-4 layers– Endo-, meso- and exoperidium
• Immature gleba is white and uniform• Mature gleba is dark and powdery– contains basidiospores and capillitium
• Basidiospores dark, globose, ornamented
Common taxa
• Lycoperdon– Common puffballs, exoperidium often warty and
wearing away to reveal smooth, papery endoperidium
• Geastrum– Earthstars– Exoperidium + mesoperidium are tough and split
in stellate manner; endoperidium thin and papery
Order Tulastomatales
• Stalked puffballs; stalk is often below ground• Basidiospores dark, globose, warted at
maturity• Saprotrophs• Representatives:– Calostoma – glutinous stalk; temperate and
tropical regions– Tulastoma – dry stalk; arid regions
Tulastoma (from Miller and Miller, 1988)
http://plantpath.osu.edu/faculty/ellett/cinnabarina.html
Calostoma cinnabarina
Order Sclerodermatales
• Earth balls and false earth stars• One-layered peridium in most taxa; peridium wears
away to expose gleba• Immature gleba is dark• Gleba organized into peridioles or locules• Basidiospores reticulate to warted, thick-walled• Ectomycorrhizal – Pinaceae and Fagaceae in Northern Hemisphere– Also with Myrtaceae in Southern Hemisphere
Common Taxa
• Astraeus– False earth star; peridium two-layered and separates
• Pisolithus– Large, unattractive, club-shaped basidiocarps with
persistent peridioles
• Scleroderma– Earth balls; look like tough, above-ground truffle due to
thick peridium and irregular shape; basidia formed in locules
Order Nidulariales
• Bird’s nest fungi and cannon ball fungus• Basidiocarps oval, urn- or trumpet-shaped• Formed in clusters on dead wood
(saprotrophs)• One- to three-layered peridium• Basidia produced in persistent, thick-walled
peridioles– Forcibly discharged in Sphaerobolus– Rain splashed in bird’s nest fungi
Common taxa
• Cyathus– Urn-shaped, dark peridioles, funiculus
• Crucibulum– Cup-shaped, dull white peridioles, funiculus
• Nidula– Cup-shaped, pale brown peridioles, no funiculus
• Sphaerobolus– Cannon-ball fungus; one peridiole, forcibly discharged by
evagination of endoperidium
Order Phallales
• Stinkhorns• Most species are saprotrophs• Gleba dissolves into putrid mass
(methylmercaptan, hydrogen sulfide = stench!) that attracts insects that disperse spores
• Immature basidiocarps form egg-stage• Gleba formed on receptacle• Basidiocarps expand rapidly at maturity
Zhusun Mushroom/ Bamboo Fungus
“A special fungus found in bamboo groves. White in color and lamp shade-like in shape, the mushroom is both delicious and nutritious.”
Gastroid and Secotioid Taxa
• Closely related to agarics and boletes• Gastroid/secotioid taxa have evolved from
ballistosporic forms:– Gastroid - Hypogeous basidiocarps– Secotioid - Epigeous basidiocarps, but pileus may
fail to expand, gills may be deformed
Examples
• Russula– Secotioid taxa: Elasmomyces, Macowanites– Gastroid taxa: Martellia, Gymnomyces
• Suillus– Gastroid taxon: Rhizopogon
Credits
This presentation has been modified from one posted on the web by Dr. Lori Carris, Washigton State University Plant Pathology Dept. from her course: Plant Path 521, Mycology.