Trechispora sp. 'MA01'
This whitish crust was found on a fallen branch of Atlantic white cedar, a coniferous species endemic to the Atlantic coast of North America. Growing exclusively in swampy areas and bogs, Atlantic white cedar wetlands are considered a globally threatened ecosystem due to tree overharvesting and wetland removal across their narrow range. Needless to say, the fungi that associate with Atlantic white cedar are also of conservation concern, and these habitats may harbor many unique, rare, and undescribed species. Case in point, the ITS sequence of this species is highly dissimilar to anything else in public sequence repositories. The LSU sequence confirms that it belongs to Trechispora and is most closely related to T. fimbriata. It may be an undescribed species, especially given its distinct stellate crystals, but more collections and further study are required (Luo and Zhao 2022).
Details
Presumably ectomycorrhizal with Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides), growing on the bottom of a fallen branch in a bog in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
White, effused, thin, smooth hymenophore with an arachnoid to fibrillose consistency.
Not determined.
Not determined.
Not determined.
Known only from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. See all sequenced specimens on iNaturalist.
Microscopy
Hyphal system: Monomitic, clamped, with blocky stellate crystals and ampullate swellings, subicular hyphae sometimes aggregated into cordons; width (2.6) 3–4.2 (4.5) µm. Basidia: Cylindrical with four sterigmata and a basal clamp; length (8.4) 8.7–9.8 (10.1) µm, width (3.9) 4–4.6 (4.8) µm, x̄ = 9.3 ✕ 4.3 µm (n = 10). Basidiospores: Ellipsoid, inamyloid, acyanophilous, distinctly ornamented with small warts or spines; length (3.5) 3.5–4.1 (4.5) µm, width (2.3) 2.4–2.7 (2.9) µm, x̄ = 3.8 ✕ 2.6 µm, Q (1.2) 1.4–1.6 (1.7) (n = 30). Sterile structures: None.
Studied Specimens
ACD0592 (iNat139342707). October 18 2022. Cape Cod National Seashore, Barnstable Co., MA, USA, 41.9107783333, -69.980605. University of Michigan Fungarium. Sequences: OQ785321 (ITS), OQ785304 (LSU).
References
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Bernicchia A, Gorjón SP. 2010. Corticiaceae s.l. Italia: Candusso. 1008 p. Link
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Luo K, Zhao C. 2022. A molecular systematics and taxonomy research on trechispora (Hydnodontaceae, Trechisporales): concentrating on three new Trechispora species from East Asia. Journal of Fungi 8:1020. PDF Link
Citation
Dirks, Alden. 2026. Species profile for Trechispora sp. 'MA01'. CrustFungi.Com. https://crustfungi.com/species/trechispora-sp-ma01/. Accessed 2026-02-04.