Bryochiton heliotropicus

Hosts: Polytrichastrum sexangulare

Peter Döbbeler identified B. heliotropicus on herbarium material collected from Ben Mac Dui in Scotland in 1836. (Döbbeler, 1987). Only four collections of the host were screened during that study, all collected in the 19th century.

Simplified key to the four described Bryochiton species, adapted from Döbbeler (1978). I choose to use ascospore morphology as the chief ID determinant to encourage searching for fruitbodies over merely recording from vegetative hyphae, especially for material on Polytrichum. Host specificity is not strict for B. monascus and B. perpusillus.

1a. Spores 1-septate...................................2a

1b. Spores 2- or 3-septate.............................3a

2a. Spores fusiform, on Gymnomitrion.....B. microscopicus

2b. Spores ellipsoidal with rounded ends, on
    Polytrichaceae and various leafy 
    liverworts.............................B. perpusillus

3a. Spores 2-septate, on Polytrichastrum 
    sexangulare..........................B. heliotropicus

3b. Spores 3-septate, on Grimmiaceae or 
    Polytrichaceae............................B. monascus

References

  • Döbbeler, P. (1978). Moosbewohnende Ascomyceten I. Die pyrenocarpen, den Gametophyten besiedelnden Arten. Mitt. Bot. Staatssamml. München, 14: 1-360
  • Döbbeler, P. (1987). Ascomycetes growing on Polytrichum sexangulare. In: Laursen, G. A., Ammirati, J. F. & Redhead, S. A. (eds), Arctic and alpine mycology II. Environm. Sci. Res., 34: 87-107