PART 1

Additional speciemns. GEORGIA. Coffee County: Broxton Rocks Ecological Preserve, Ricketson Tract, ca.
10 mi NE of Broxton, ca. 3 mi S of Ocmulgee River, 31°44'N, 82°44'W, ca. 70 m, extensive, dissected
sandstone outcrop [Altamaha Grit], 4 Feb 1995, Buck 27461, 27495; Johnson County: as type, Buck 27570;
Washington County: ca. 3 mi N of Harrison along County Road 206 (Peacock Road), near headwaters of
Rocky Creek, 32°53'N, 82°44'W, ca. 140 m, Altamaha Grit sandstone flats, 18 Mar 1995, Buck 27543 (all NY).
DACAMPIACEAE Körber
EOPYRENULA R. C. Harris
When I described this genus I placed it in the Pyrenulaceae, largely on the basis of IKI+ blue hymenial
gel, long rod-shaped microconidia and brown ascospores. It was given the generic name with youthful
naiveté, speculating that the genus might be ancestral to Pyrenula. Aptroot (1991) placed Eopyrenula in the
Pleomassariaceae. This was accepted by Barr (Mycotaxon 49: 129-142. 1993). Eriksson (Lichenologist 25:
310. 1993) was dubious about this placement. Personally I find it absurd. The type species of Pleomassaria
and Splanchnonema have massive clavate asci with thick tips with indistinct, rounded ocular chambers ( with
an apical nasse? in Pleomassaria siparia (Berk. & Br.) Sacc.), very coarse physes and large ascospores with
thick gelatinous sheaths. Eopyrenula has smaller cylindrical asci with thin walls evenly thickened in water
mounts, with a round or elongate ocular chamber in KOH, physes ca. ½ the width of those in
Pleomassariaceae and medium sized ascospores without a gelatinous sheath. The only character I can see
linking Eopyrenula to the Pleomassariaceae is the production of brown, septate macroconidia. Casting
around for a better home for Eopyrenula, I ran across notes made for another purpose on Byssothecium
Fuckel and Dacampia Massal., both placed in the Dacampiaceae. Eopyrenula has distinctive ascospores with
the end cells paler than the middle cells. This seems to be due to a two layered spore wall, the inner pale, the
outer dark. The outer layer apparently forms from the center outwards not covering the end cells which are
therefore pale. This also seems to be the case in Byssothecium and possibly Dacampia, both of which have
pale end cells. Both genera lack a gelatinous ascospore sheath as in Eopyrenula. The asci are ± cylindrical
with ocular chamber similar to Eopyrenula. The pseudoparaphyses are slender as in Eopyrenula. For these
reasons I suggest placing Eopyrenula in the Dacampiaceae. Barr described the ascomatal wall of
Dacampiaceae as three layered with the outer pseudoparenchymatous. The ascomatal wall of Eopyrenula is
of textura intricata. However, to my eye, the wall of Byssothecium circinans Fuckel also consists of textura
intricata. Some Dacampiaceae have a pore in the ascospore septa which is not found in Eopyrenula. Also
Eopyrenula-type macroconidia do not seem to be known from the Dacampiaceae. Even with these
anomalies, Dacampiaceae seem to me a much better fit than Pleomassariaceae or Pyrenulaceae.
Eopyrenula is well lichenized with Trentepohlia and would seem to represent another independent line of
lichenization. In the Dacampiaceae Dacampia and Pyrenidium Nyl. are lichen parasites on a wide variety of
hosts.
There are three species of Eopyrenula known to me from North America (none of which occur in Florida),
E. intermedia Coppins ex Aptroot in eastern North America, E. parvispora R. C. Harris & Aptroot in the Pacific
Northwest and an apparently undescribed species on spruce from Minnesota. The potentially undescribed
taxon may be the European E. leucoplaca (Wallr.) R. C. Harris as it has 2-celled macroconidia but the
substrate is unique and I have almost no material of E. leucoplaca for comparison at this time.
Type. Arthopyrenia Massal.
ARTHOPYRENIACEAE W. Watson
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