Chaetothiersia is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of fungi in the family Pyronemataceae

Pyronemataceae

The Pyronemataceae are a family of fungi in the order Pezizales. It is the largest family of the Pezizales, encompassing 75 genera and approximately 500 species...

. It is monotypic

Monotypic

In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...

, containing the single species Chaetothiersia vernalis collected from the northern High Sierra Nevada of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. It has been found growing in groups on the decaying wood and bark of the conifer Abies magnifica.

Description

This species is characterized by having stiff brown hairs on the surface of the ectal excipulum, the outer layer of the apothecium. The ectal excipulum is thin, and made of roughly spherical to somewhat spherical/angular cells. Its ascospore

Ascospore

An ascospore is a spore contained in an ascus or that was produced inside an ascus. This kind of spore is specific to fungi classified as ascomycetes ....

s are smooth, and do not contain oil droplets.

Etymology

The etymology

Etymology

Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...

 of the generic name is derived from the Latin chaeto, meaning hairy, and "thiersia", in honor of mycologist Harry Thiers, one of the first to collect this specimen.

Lookalikes

Genera with species that bear a resemblance to C. vernalis include Geopora

Geopora

Geopora is a genus of truffle-like fungi in the family Pyronemataceae, currently with 13 described species. The genus was circumscribed by mycologist Harvey Willson Harkness in 1885. Molecular phylogenetic reconstructions indicate that the cup-like apothecial Geopora should better be placed back in...

, Humaria

Humaria

Humaria is a genus of fungi in the family Pyronemataceae.-External links:*...

, Trichophaea

Trichophaea

Trichophaea is a genus of fungi in the family Pyronemataceae.-External links:*...

, Trichophaeopsis

Trichophaeopsis

Trichophaeopsis is a genus of fungi in the family Pyronemataceae.-External links:*...

, Tricharina

Tricharina

Tricharina is a genus of fungi in the family Pyronemataceae. The genus has a widespread distribution in temperate regions, and contains 13 species. The anamorph form is Ascorhizoctonia....

, most of which are distinguishable only by examining microscopic characteristics.

External links

• Index Fungorum
• California Fungi Photograph