Home • Loramyces macrosporus CBS235.53 v1.0
Loramyces from WH Weston, 1929
Loramyces from WH Weston, 1929

Loramyces macrosporus is a member of Loramycetaceae family from the order Helotiales, and was sequenced as part of the 1000 fungal genomes project. The 1000 fungal genome project aims fill in gaps in the Fungal Tree of Life by sequencing at least two reference genomes from the more than 500 recognized families of Fungi. This project additionally aims to inform research on plant-microbe interactions, microbial emission and capture of greenhouse gasses, and environmental metagenomic sequencing.

Loramycetaceae is a monotypic taxon, containing the single genus Loramyces. The genus contains two aquatic species, L. juncicola and L. macrosporus. Species in the family are found in North America and Europe, where they grow saprobically on submerged, decaying plant tissue.

Members of the Loramycetaceae family lack stromata, the compact mass of mycelium that supports fruit bodies or in which fruiting bodies are produced. The ascomata, which are formed within a gelatinous matrix, are deeply cup-shaped, almost like a perithecium. The outer tissue layer of the ascomata is thin-walled and transclucent. The ascospores are 2-septate, transclucent, and have a long basal cellular appendage with a gelatinous sheath. This sheath is thought to play the role of a "flotation mechanism", and ultimately give the ascospores a greater chance to become attached to the upper part of the host plant.