Helicostylum
HELICOSTYLUM Corda, 1842 (Icon. Fung. 5:18); 2 spp. (Benny, 1995—monograph).
= Haynaldia Schulzer von Müggenberg, 1866 (Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 17:37; fide Upadhyay, 1973).
= Bulbothamnidium Klein, 1870 (Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 20:557; fide Upadhyay, 1973).
= Chaetostylum van Tiegh. & Le Monn., 1873 (Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot., Sér. 5, 17:328; fide Upadhyay, 1973)
Helicostylum produces deliquescent-walled sporangia at the tips of the main sporangiophores and their branches. Smaller, persistent-walled, pedicellate sporangia arise laterally from verticellate or pseudoverticellate borne spinose branches that also arise from the main sporangiophores or their branches (Benny, 1995). Zygospores have a dark, rough zygosporangial wall and opposed, more or less equal suspensors.
Type species: H. elegans
Species of Helicostylum:
H. elegans Corda, 1842 ( Icones fungorum 5:55) emend. Benny, 1995 (Mycologia 87:258).
H. pulchrum (Preuss) Pidoplichko & Mil’ko, 1971 ( Atlas mukoral’ vykh gribov, p.84) emend. Benny, 1995 (Mycologia 87:259).
There are two known species of Helicostylum, H. elegans and H. pulchrum, that are both psychrotolerent. Upadhyay (1973) redescribed both Helicostylum species, and Benny (1995) described the zygospores and he illustrated both taxa.
Bibliography
Benny, G.L. 1995. Observations on Thamnidiaceae. VII. Helicostylum and a new genus Kirkia. Mycologia 87:253-264.
Upadhyay, H.P. 1973. Helicostylum and Thamnostylum (Mucorales). Mycologia 65:733-751.
Updated Mar 14, 2005