Conidiomata
Seifert, Morgan-Jones, Gams & Kendrick
Fig. 8. Some conidiomatal types in hyphomycetes. A–F. Synnemata. A, B. Determinate with terminal, slimy conidial masses. C–E. Indeterminate with terminal and subterminal conidiogenous cells. F. Branched. G–J. Sporodochia in cross section. J. With cupulate hymenium, somewhat intermediate between typical sporodochia and acervular conidiomata.
nicated the complexity and beauty of these microfungi for the first time (Fig. 2). Preuss and Ditmar (in Sturm 1851, see Fig. 1C) improved the accuracy of the microscopic drawings. Then the Tulasne brothers (1861–1865) published magnificent microscopic illustrations prepared with a drawing prism (Fig. 1E), showing for the first time the physical connections between certain anamorphs and associated teleomorphs. Below, we focus on the two major historical developments that continue to be relevant to modern hyphomycete taxonomy, the sporological system developed by Saccardo and his followers, and the ontogenetic system developed by Hughes (1953) and subsequent workers. 1. The Saccardoan system The most successful early efforts in the taxonomy of hyphomycetes used characters that parallelled traits also
emphasized in teleomorph classifications. Saccardo (Fig. 3E) was an assiduous mycologist (1845–1920) who Latinized and compiled all published descriptions of fungi in a series called Sylloge fungorum hucusque cognitorum, which eventually spanned 26 volumes (some later volumes completed by his relatives or colleagues). Saccardo developed a system for classifying all fungi according to fruiting-body type, pigmentation, and spore morphology (the ‘sporological’ system). The taxonomic practice of establishing a rigid hierarchy of morphological characters and then sorting organisms according to a strict interpretation of these phenotypes, regardless of whether the result is a phylogenetically natural classification, is often called ‘pigeon-holing’. Despite its artificiality, the practicality of Saccardo’s system made it very useful and it was applied by Clements & Shear (1931) in their influential book The Genera of Fungi. This system was also applied
Fig. 9. Sporodochial hyphomycetes. A. Bactridium flavum. B. Trichoderma spirale. C. Tubercularia vulgaris (yellow) and its teleomorph Nectria cinnabarina (red). D. Myrothecium inundatum.
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