31-01-2026 09:17
Marc Detollenaere
Dear Forum,On decorticated wood of Castanea,I foun
31-01-2026 10:22
Michel Hairaud
Bonjour, Cette hypocreale parasite en nombre les
29-08-2025 05:16
Francois Guay
I think I may have found the teleomorph of Dendros
30-01-2026 21:20
Arnold BüschlenBryocentria brongniartii und B. metzgeriae mit ihr
21-01-2026 16:32
Gernot FriebesHi,I need your help with some black dots on a lich
07-12-2015 14:17
Zugna Marino
Buon giorno a tutti, ad un primo momento, non ess
29-01-2026 10:04
Jean-Paul Priou
Bonjour à tous, Marcel LECOMTE président de L'A
I was happy to find these orange asmocyetes which at first glance I identified tentavely as Pithya vulgaris based on the size of the apothecium that ranged between 3.5 to 5.5cm and the substrate being a woody twig. P. cupressina, which I am familiar with, are here found of fallen leaves of Cupressus sempervirens and are up to 3mm wide (mostly barely 2mm).Can I assign this finding to P. vulgaris or I still need further verifications (microscopical investigations).
https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/Mycologia-Bavarica_10_0055-0062.pdf
After reading the paper, these are the most important features to distinguish P. cupressina and P. vulgaris (considered distinct species).
Spore Size (at maturity)
Pithya cupressina: (9) 10-12 (12.5) um
Pithya vulgaris 12-15 um
Substrate Specialization
Pithya cupressina: Cupressaceae (e.g., Chamaecyparis, Cupressus, Juniperus, Sequoia, Thuja)
Pithya vulgaris: Pinaceae (usually Abies species, occasionally Picea, Pinus)
Size of Apothecia
Pithya cupressina: 2-5 mm wide
Pithya vulgaris: (5-) 10-15 mm wide
My finding was on an unkown twig up to 5.5mm wide and spores with the following measurments:
9.1 [10.1 ; 10.6] 11.6 × 8.9 [9.9 ; 10.4] 11.3 µm
Q = 1 [1.0] 1.1 ; N = 27 ; C = 95%
Me = 10.4 × 10.1 µm ; Qe = 1
So it is (disappointingly) the usual Pithya cupressina which grew slightly larger up to 5mm possibly because they were growing on a woody twig, while on leaves and leaf petioles fruiting bodies only reach 1-3mm in diameter (here in Malta).
Eye-catching are the operculate asci !!!
