RAMICANDELABERY. Ogawa, S. Hayashi, Y. Degawa & Y. Yaguchi, 2001 (Mycoscience 42:193); 2 spp. (Ogawa et al., 2001; Kurihara et al., 2004).
Mycelium producing stolons that form rhizoids where they contact the substrate. Sporangiophores septate, arise from rhizoids, unbranched, may form supporting hyphae that grow to the substrate and produce rhizoids; fertile branches are borne verticellately, terminating in a fertile apex that may or may not be vesiculate. Sporocladium unicelled, producing a single pseudophialide medially and laterally. Peudophialides globose to hemisphaerical. Merosporangia fusiform, one produced from each pseudophialide; released in a droplet of fluid at maturity. Zygospores unknown.
Type species:R. longisporus
Species ofRamicandelaber:
R. brevisporusKurihara, Degawa & Tokumasu, 2004 (Mycological Research 108:1145).
R. longisporusY. Ogawa, S. Hayashi, Y. Degawa & Y. Yaguchi, 2001 (Mycoscience 42:194).
Ramacandelaberspp are typical kickxellalean fungi because they produce the sporocladium-pseudophialide-merosporangium complex, a septum with a lenticular cavity and an included plug, and the spores are released in a droplet of fluid at maturity. These taxa are atypical because they produce stolons and rhizoids andR. brevisporusforms supporting branches that grow down the sporangiophore and terminate in a rhizoid when they contact the substrate (Ogawa et al., 2000; Kurihara et al., 2004). An analysis of 18S sequences of both Harpellales and Kickxellales demonstrated thatRamicandelaberspp. formed a third clade. This possibly indicated thatR. brevisporusandR. longisporusbelonged in an order of its own (Ogawa et al., 2005). Both species ofRamicandelaberhave been isolated from soil (Ogawa et al., 2000; Kurihara et al., 2004). Dr. Kurihara (pers. comm., 2006) stated thatRamicandelaberis more commonly encountered than the other three genera,Mycoëmilia, Myconymphaea, Pinnaticoemansia, recently described.
The isolate ofRamicandelaber brevisporusillustrated here was isolated from soil collected in Gainesville, Florida, U.S.A. Isolation and growth was on one-tenth strength wheat germ agar (Wg10) based on the formula of wheat germ agar described in Benny (1972).
