Terfezia eliocrocae

Zitouni-Haouar, Fatima El-Houaria, Carlavilla, Juan Ramón, Moreno, Gabriel, Manjón, José Luis & Fortas, Zohra, 2018, Genetic diversity of the genus Terfezia (Pezizaceae, Pezizales): New species and new record from North Africa, Phytotaxa 334 (2), pp. 183-194 : 189

Terfezia eliocrocae : Bordallo, Morte & Honrubia, Mycotaxon 124:196–197 (2013) Fig. 3

Ascomata hypogeous, 1–6 cm below soil surface, globose to subglobose, substipitate with short basal attachment, 15–50 × 20–55 mm, (6–) 9–57 g fresh weight ( Fig. 3 b-c). Peridium thin (0.1 mm thick), smooth, light brownish yellow to brown mottled with black patches. Gleba soft and friable, light yellowish white with creamy gray subglobose to elongated pockets of fertile tissue surrounded by pale yellow sterile veins. Asci eight-spored, hyaline, often ovoid to clavate or subglobose, (37–) 44–61 × 54–78 (–85) μm, astipitate or occasionally substipitate ( Fig. 3d ). Ascospores globose, (15–) 16–19 (–20) μm broad including ornamentation with prominent irregular reticulum. The young spores are hyaline and smooth, becoming at maturity pale yellow to light orange and ornamented with a well-developed reticulum. The reticular walls are 0.5–1 μm thick ( Fig. 3 d–g ).

Habitat:—In Algerian steppic plains (Bouchouat, Tiaret) ( Fig. 3a ) collected under Helianthemum hirtum and H. salicifolium in association with several neighboring plants: Stipa parviflora, Astragalus mareoticus, Noaea mucronata, Atractylis serratuloides, Artemisia herba-alba, Thymelaea hirsutae and Schismus barbatus on alkaline calcareous sandy loam soil; March. In desertic areas (Northwestern Algerian Sahara, Bechar) growing on calcareous alkaline sandy soil under H. lippii ; April.

Specimens examined: — ALGERIA: Tiaret: Bouchouat , March 2013, F. E.- H. Zitouni-Haouar ( AH 46384 ) ; Bechar: Beni Abbes , April 2012, F. E.- H. Zitouni-Haouar .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Macro- and micromorphological characteristics of Terfezia eliocrocae. a. the steppic habitat with Bedouins desert truffles harvesters.b,c.ascomata collectedunderHelianthemum salicifolium.d.asci andspores.e–g.ascospores(f,g.scanning electron micrograph). Bars: c = 2 cm, d = 10 μm; e–g = 5 μm.