Taeniolella cladinicola
A hyphomycetous lichenicolous fungus growing immersed in the thallus of Cladonia arbuscula, C. portentosa, C. strepsilis, C. uncialis subsp. biuncialis and C. zopfii with only the short condiophores emerging, but causing distinctive discolouring to the podetia, at first purplish, then dark brown as the conidiophores emerge.
Found on a limited range of hosts; Cladonia arbuscula, Cladonia uncialis subsp. biuncialis and Cladonia zopfii in Britain, also found on Cladonia strepsilis in the New Forest, a host not reported elsewhere. Most easily spotted by the purple-brown then dark brown damage to the host thallus, confirmed by the stubble of very short conidiophores emerging from the dark brown areas. The thallus is immersed within the host thallus and usually developing inside host hyphae. The conidiophores are unbranched and the conidia are 0–1(–2)-septate, with the aseptate conidia 3–13 × 3–6 μm, 1-septate ones 9–19 × 4–6 μm, 2-septate ones 20–25 × 5 μm. A detailed description is given in Heuchert et al (2018).
In Britain found parasitising the podetia of Cladonia arbuscula, C. portentosa, C. strepsilis, C. uncialis subsp. biuncialis and C. zopfii but it has also been recorded on C. mitis, C. rangiferina and C. uncialis subsp. uncialis elsewhere in Europe. In Britain found in moorland, sand dune and lowland heathland habitats.
Rarely recorded to date, but potentially overlooked, so far with several records scattered across Scotland and also from the New Forest, England and discovered in Wales in 2022.
Not evaluated, but rarely recorded and the four hosts known in Britain are either regionally declining or nationally Notable, so potentially of conservation interest, at least in England.
Heuchert, B., Braun, U., Diederich, P., Ertz, D. (2018) Taxonomic monograph of the genus Taeniolella s. lat. (Ascomycota). Fungal Systematics and Evolution. 2: 69-261. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3114/fuse.2018.02.06