Illustrated Genera of Ascomycetes

Minnesota

American Phytopathological Society

1990

263 S.

zahlr. Abb., Lit. Ang.

Monographie

0-89054-107-8

12741

84978

This book arose from a long-observed need for an illustrated key to genera of ascomycetes that are frequently encountered in mycology or plant pathology courses. It is intended not for the ascomycete specialst, but for advanced students of mycology or others who need to identify ascomycetes and who will benefit from having illustrations with which to compare their speciments. The key was originally written as a key to genera of ascomycetes isolated from peanuts; this was later expanded, with the addition of generic descriptions, and computerized for use in mycology classes. A modification of the key was published as a key to genera of plant pathogenic ascomycetes in Venezuela. It is hoped that the addition of illustrations of a representative species for each genus will enhance its usefulness. A key to 100 genera of ascomycetes is provided, followed by descriptions and illustrations of each genus. Of the 100 genera, 65 include at least one species that is pathogenic to plants, and several other genera are associated with plant materials. An additional 134 genera are discussed under the "Comments" section of each description; these are listed in the index. The initial couplets in the key are based on Saccardoan spore types, followed by the type of ascoma formed. No cleistothecial plectomycetes or hemiascomycetes are included in the key. Genera are also arranged according to ascospore type, in the following order: hyalosporae, allantosporae, phaeosporae, hyalodidymae, phaeodidymae, scolecosporae, hyalophragmiae, phaeophragmiae, hyalodictyae, and phaeodictyae. Since the key is completely artificial, the arrangement of genera does not imply phylogenetic relationships among them. The heart of the book consists of the generic descriptions and the accompanying illustrations; these are placed on facing pages for ready reference. The format of the descriptins is as follows: genus and author citation, a detailed generic description, associated genera of anamorphs, habitat, representative species, comments on related genera, and references. The references are not intended to be complete, but rather to serve as a starting point for looking up species descriptions. Emphasis is placed on references that include illustration of species, and those with keys and descriptions. Full citations for all references are provided at the back of the book. Because this book is intended for use by students, some comments on use of the key may be helpful. The effective use of any key depends on the user's acquiring an understanding of the terminology and concepts utilized by the author in the construction of the key. This can only be done through experience, but comparison of illustrations of genera with particular characters can be helpful in familiarizing oneself with these concepts (e.g., whether an ascopsore is filiform or narrowly phragmosporous). It should be ....