PART 1

Aptroot, for which I have seen the type and a couple additional specimens. It belongs in Anisomeridium. The
asci and physes are clearly the same as those seen in Monoblastiaceae. The ascospores of M. verrucosa
and M. megalospora contain colorless crystals. (Eriksson also sees them as crystals but Aptroot interprets
them as folds in the ascospore wall.) This character is seen in scattered species with large ascospores in the
Monoblastiaceae, Pyrenulaceae and Trypetheliaceae and seems to have no lower level taxonomic
significance. Possibly it is some storage product crystallizing which might provide support for ordinal
relationship if biochemical analysis were to show it was unique or unusual.
The disposition of Ornatopyrenis is more problematical. Ornamented ascospores are otherwise
unknown in the entire family Trypetheliaceae but the pale brown, ornamented ascospores do suggest
Mycomicrothelia (Arthopyreniaceae). Hawksworth's (1985) photo of the type, Microthelia queenslandica Müll.
Arg., shows dark septa which also seem typical of Mycomicrothelia. Hawksworth's photo and Aptroot's
drawings both show distoseptation which does not fit well with Mycomicrothelia as defined by Hawksworth.
However, Aptroot described Mycomicrothelia rubrostoma with somewhat distoseptate ascospores although his
examination was apparently so casual that he did not realize this. The ascospores of M. rubrostoma are
similar to those in the porospore Arthopyreniae mentioned above, only brown. Thus, I am not uncomfortable
with placement in the Arthopyreniaceae. Also the ascospores of Ornatopyrenis may become submuriform. I
have already (1989) introduced a muriform-spored species into Mycomicrothelia, M. decipiens (Müll. Arg.) R.
C. Harris. Until such time as I can study material of Ornatopyrenis queenslandica, I suggest Ornatopyrenis be
placed tentatively as a synonym of Mycomicrothelia.
KEY TO GENERA
1. Thallus not corticate, whitish ..................................................................................................................... 2
2. Ascospores with well developed endospore developed, lumina angular,
4-celled, 20-27 × 6-8 µm; hymenium inspersed, also often yellow
pigmented, KOH+ red; throughout the state ........................... Pseudopyrenula subnudata Müll. Arg.
2. Ascospores with endospore not developed, lumina cylindrical,
with 4-8 transverse septa or muriform.............................................................................. Polymeridium
1. Thallus corticate, green, tan, brown or orange.......................................................................................... 3
3. Ascomata solitary or in pseudostromata, not fused and sharing a common ostiole
or ostiolar plate...................................................................................................................................... 4
4. Stromata solitary or in pseudostromata which are not brown, and slightly
shiny , if containing KOH+ purple pigment, then pseudostroma pruinose and
ascospores 9-13 transversely septate; pseudostromal wall not composed
of brown, convoluted hyphae............................................................................................................. 5
5. Ascospores muriform .................................................................................................................... 6
6. Ostiole apical..................................................................................................................Laurera
6. Ostiole eccentric or lateral............................................................... [Campylothelium Müll. Arg.]
5. Ascospores transversely septate .................................................................................................. 7
7. Ascospores less than 100 µm long or if longer, then multiseptate..............................................
................................................................................................................... Trypethelium s. lat.
7. Ascospores mostly more than 100 µm long, 3-5-septate..................[Architrypethelium Aptroot]
4. Ascomata in brown, usually slightly shiny psedostromata containing
yellow or orange pigments, KOH- or KOH+ red; pseudostromal
wall composed of brown, jigsaw puzzle-like hyphae; ascospores
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