Morchella galilaea Masaphy & Clowez

Image location: Xewkija, Gozo, Malta

Macro.

AscocarpType: Compound Ascocarp colour: Dirty mustard yellow, turning reddish brownish at edges. Ascocarp size: Sexual cap = 48mm long x 36mm across; total length = 88mm Ascocarp rim: Edges of alveoli reddish brown Ascocarp shape: Conical with wide lacunae and narrow edges. Lacunae about 30, irregular, longer then wide, rectangular to elongated pentagonal or hexagonal, about 8-13mm wide and varying from 15-20 and up to 24mm in length in few lacunae. Edge narrow, 0.5mm wide

Stipe size: 45mm long x 20mm wide (25mm at the base) Stipe colour: Pale apricot-orange Stipe texture: Finely granulose Flesh: Completely hollowed without cottony mycelia Flesh colour: Greyish-beige

Additional notes Stipe base swollen, bulbous branching and dendroid

MICRO: ==

Paraphyses. -————- Paraphyses: Present, not frequent, septate, shorter from asci

Paraphyses shape (apex): Capitate, with a rounded, elliptic-rectangular or rarely irregaular-deltate head, (24.1-)30.7(-34.1) µm long Paraphyses width: Column 6.8-9.5µm (mean 8.37µm) ; apical head (widest part): 12-17.8µm (mean 14.1µm) Paraphyses length: Total length 142-174µm (mean = 161.4µm); Length of apical hypha 98-129µm (mean = 113.4µm)

Other remarks: Paraphyses dextrinoid in IKI, especially its head. They are 1- to 2- (3- septate), with the septa located at the basal third of the paraphyses.

Ascum -—- Shape: Cylindrical, straight or slightly sinusoidial-irregular, usually with a distinct kink at the base No. of Spores: 8 Operculum Not: observed Tunic (Wall): Uni-tunicate Ascum length (range): 220 – 288 µm Ascum length (mean): 262.7 µm Ascum width (range): 15.2 – 20.8 µm Ascum width (mean): 17.7 µm Ascum L:W ratio: 15 Iodine reaction (J +/J -): J-ve but dextrinoid Orifice: Absent Remarks: Sometimes spore are clustered at the top of the ascum making it to swell nad bulge

AscoSpores -———— Spore length (range): 20.26 – 24.9 µm Spore length (mean): 22.7 µm Spore width (range): 9.97 – 15.9 µm Spore width (mean): 12.4 µm Spore Q factor (range): 1.54 – 2.24 µm Spore Q factor (mean): 1.84 Spore shape: Fusoid-elliptical, widest at the centre with two identical rounded poles Spore septa: Aseptate Spore surface: Finely course or rugolose Oil bodies: Absent

Arrangement of spores: Spores arranged obliquely, sometimes aggregated at the upper part of the ascum.

Others: -—— Excipulum (medullary): Profusely branched, intricate and reticulate hypha forming a textura intricata, with hyphal elements 3-6um wide and 24-45um long, but very variable in size and shape (variably and irregularly bent, curved or kinked)

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