Geoglossomycetes

© Steve Trudell

Danny’s DNA Discoveries – Geoglossomycetes of the PNW
by Danny Miller

Introduction

This class produces dark brown to black earth tongues that are usually spathulate and long stemmed (one genus has a round head). They are most easily confused with Microglossum, but those are a bit more brightly coloured (although one is purplish black) and have colourless spores.

abundant common uncommon rare - colour codes match my Pictorial Key and are my opinions and probably reflect my bias of living in W WA. Rare species may be locally common in certain places at certain times.

Geoglossomycetes

Hairy, viscid, or uniquely shaped

Trichoglossum sp. 'hirsutum-PNW01' - blackish, covered in tiny hairs (unlike Geoglossum). The head may be variably shaped, sometimes elongated, sometimes more round. You may need a hand lens. Our PNW sequences differ from EU type area sequences.

Trichoglossum cf velutipes NY - differentiated microscopically. We have no DNA from anywhere.

Glutinoglossum glutinosum EU - is viscid and almost black. One WA collection matches the epitype sequence fairly well.

Sabuloglossum monticola EU - not known from the PNW until it was sequenced from WA. These brownish black earth tongues only have a short stem, with the entire fruitbody being about 1cm tall.

Sarcoleotia PNW01 - with a nearly spherical dark brown head and paler brown stem. Two OR sequences are 6% different in ITS from EU sequences of Sarcoleotia globosa EU, so our species probably needs a new name. EU sequences vary about 2% from each other, so there might be more than one species in the EU, but even if theirs is all one species ours is likely unique. CA has its own species too.

Trichoglossum 'hirsutum PNW01' © Warren Cardimona, Glutinoglossum glutinosum © Matthew Koons, Sabuloglossum monticola © Connor Dooley, Sarcoleotia sp. 'PNW01' © Connor Dooley

Geoglossum: Neither hairy nor viscid

Sometimes brown

Geoglossum 'fallax PNW01' - often (but not always) with brown tones (most others are black or almost black). G. fallax has 2 concepts in the EU, one of which occurs in the PNW. The one sequence I have found from NY, the type area, is 4 bp and 2 ambiguities different from our sequences. It's plausible we have the real thing, but for now I have given it a code.

Geoglossum PNW06 - also brown and therefore resembling G. fallax (and closely related). I don't know how to tell it apart from PNW01.

Always black

Geoglossum sp. 'sphagnophilum-PNW02' - black, found in sphagnum moss, although the others can be too. This is a unique sequence that is unverified and should be looked for again.

Geoglossum sp. 'sphagnophilum-PNW03' - PNW03 is 4 bp different than an EU sequence that may represent this EU species, and 7 bp different than PNW02. This species was not previously reported from the PNW before they were sequenced, and yet they seem to be the most least uncommon.

Geoglossum sp. 'OR01' - a short but unique sequence close to G. sphagnophilum and PNW03 that is getting its own code for now.

Geoglossum sp. 'glabrum-PNW04' - blackish. Some considered it a synonym of G. sphagnophila, but it appears that it isn't. Our OR and ID sequences are 2% different than an ENA sequence and 2% different than the closest EU type area sequence match, so it appears our species in the complex needs its own name.

Geoglossum sp. 'CA06' - another species in the G. glabrum complex.

Geoglossum sp. 'WA01' -

Geoglossum sp. 'CA04' - one collection was (probably falsely) identified as G. nigritum EU.

Geoglossum sp. 'PNW07' -

Geoglossum cf umbratile EU - has been reported from the PNW but no collections match EU sequences yet. Perhaps reports of this represent one of the above species.

Geoglossum sp. 'PNW06' © Matthew Koons, G. sp. 'sphagnophilum-PNW02' © Connor Dooley, G. sp. 'sphagnophilum-PNW03' © Jordan Gates (2 images)

Geoglossum sp. 'OR01' © Connor Dooley, G. sp. 'glabrum-PNW04' © Michelle Keller-Pearson, G. sp. 'CA06' © iNaturalist user danieltayrien, C. sp. 'WA01' © Dan Morton

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