Hi Nick

does the photo on upper right show paraphyses or the margin? Could you try a section showing the excipulum at flanks and margin?

Also helpful would be if you have living asci. The figured one is dead, and it is valuable to know whether the spores are septate already inside the living asci.

Are the vacuoles in the paraphyses of low or high contrast? I assume of low, judging from the elements on your photo.

Prersently I have no idea at all.

Zotto

Hi Zotto (and eveyone),

 

Aha! After much searching & sectioning I found some hairs at the margin!

I think the ascus pictured is alive (?) - The septae are difficult to see because of the guttules but I'm convinced the spores are 1-septate (rarely 3-septate) before release. 

The photo is of paraphyses. Yes, I think low contrast vacuoles.

Several of the apothecia have asci with 8 globose spores - Can this be a Helicogonium?

Thanks again for your help,

Nick

Yes, these are living asci, but since they are not fully mature (visible from the vacuolated ascoplasma not yet forming one big vacuole but many small ones) I think that the spores are mainly 3-septate when released.

Sorry, I overlooked that you wrote low-refractive for the VBs. I would exclude Calycellina. maybe the fungus could be sought in Pseudohelotium, but  this was a waste basket genus in earlier times, not sure how narrow it should be taken today. 

In the few Pseudohelotium species for which I have images there occur similar, partly also roughened hairs. So I place your fungus in that folder.

The globose spores are either immature or abnormal, difficult to say.

Is your drawing from 2013 and all photos from 2014?

Zotto

Hi Zotto,

Yes, it's quite possible that spores are 3-septate on discharge.

I must say I interpreted the roughened hairs as smooth ones with small droplets attached - I will try to clarify this. Is there a solution I can use to clear the droplets (if they are indeed there?)

The three images in my original post (macro photo, drawing, collage of photos) are from 2013. Subsequent photos are 2014.

Thanks,

Nick

Hi Nick

I would test Melzer or Lactophenol, and also KOH. If it resists in one of these, it should not be resinous, But the classification of these deposits is not really clear.

Zotto

Hi Nick & Zotto,
this species give me a strong resemblence to the Arachnopezizoide group although no subiculum is visible, I have no idea about the species but I found the name Arachnopeziza nuda Korf on the internet, this species is described in: Bull. natn. Sci. Mus., Tokyo 4: 393 (1959)?. This is just a wild shot in the dark because I don't have the description. If anyone has this article I am interested in it.
There is one record of it in the Bristol aerea on GBIF: http://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=3488500&GEOREFERENCED=true&SPATIAL_ISSUES=false?

Regards,
Stip

hoi Stip & Nick

I first wanted to say: don't shoot at all.
But now I myself made a shot in the night, I think it is readable. :-(

All in all, it fits quite well! So are there any "fairly thick-wallwed" subicular hyphae at the base? 
 
Zotto

Hi Zotto & Stip,

Thanks for your input

Great - this description of A.nuda actually fits very well!

The hyphae at the base of the apothecia are quite abundant, and I think I would say they are "fairly thick walled" (at least thicker than the walls of the excipulum cells):

I'll dry my collection to see if it becomes yellow...

 

What a good work ! 

Many thanks to the three of you !

Amitiés
Michel

I am happy I followed my instincts and shot :)

Stip

Not as happy as me, Stip :)

I just wanted to follow this up with a final image - Unless anyone disagrees I'll label it as Arachnopeziza nuda.

amitiés,

Nick