Genus Sphacelotheca (Noun)
Meaning
Genus of smut fungus.
Classification
Nouns denoting plants.
Examples
- Sphacelotheca is a genus of smut fungi in the family Doassansiaceae that affects grasses, causing black, globose or elongate, rather firm and dry teliospores to form on leaves or culms.
- Some of the 28 recognized species within the genus Sphacelotheca include Sphacelotheca cruenta and Sphacelotheca occidentalis, among others.
- Phylogenetic studies using large subunit rDNA data reveal the existence of multiple cryptic lineages within the genus Sphacelotheca, particularly within Sphacelotheca occidentalis.
- Fungal cultures within the genus Sphacelotheca show marked diversity, in host plant association and developmental characters such as promycelial branch types and morphology.
- Examination of samples identified teliospores within the genus Sphacelotheca based on cell dimensions and reaction with Lugol's solution, enabling differential diagnoses to be performed with minimal complications.