Part 10

1 Perithecia occurring singly or in groups, but directly (key 1,2) on the dung or buried in it (figs 16, 28, 19, 22, 27, 30, 32, 34-36). 2 - Perithecia occurring in or on a mass of fungal tissue (stroma) growing in or on the dung (figs 32, 37). 135

2(1) Spores black, brown or dark olive-greenish. 3 - Spores hyaline or pale coloured, at least under the microscope (may be coppery red en masse). 117

3(2) Spores smooth, without an ornamentation of hyaline pits. 4 - Spores 1-celled, ornamented with hyaline pits. (Gelasinospora) 114

4(3) Perithecia dark, olive, brown or black. 5 - Perithecia reddish brown, orange or golden, globose, with a neck. Spores black, limoniform. 116

5(4) Perithecia globose, surmounted by a dense tuft of greyish green hairs, which may be branched or simple, straight or curly. Spores olivaceous, limoniform. Asci clavate, soon disappearing. (A large genus not characteristic of dung, but occurring occasionally). Chaetomium (fig. 16) - Perithecia more pyriform, or if globose then with a distinct neck, may be setose but not densely hairy, with clavate or cylindrical asci. 6

6(5) Each spore composed of 4 or more cells in a row (figs 17, 21). Asci bitunicate (figs 20, 23). 7 - Spores 1- or 2-celled. Asci bitunicate or unitunicate. 29

7(6) Spores 16-32-celled, united firmly together in a bundle both in the ascus and after discharge. Germ slits usually absent. (Sporormia) 8 - Spores each with 4 or more cells, each spore free and surrounded by its own gelatinous sheath. Germ slits usually present. (Sporormiella) 11

8(7) Spores 16-20-celled. 9 - Spores 29-32-celled, 130-160 × 4-6µm. Sporormia mirabilis

9(8) Spores 16-celled, 85-116 × 5-6.5µm. Sporormia fimicola - Spores smaller. 10

10(9) Spores 16-celled, 37-45 × 3µm. Asci 50-60 × 10-12µm. Sporormia sp. (fig. 17) [recorded as S. fimetaria by Richardson (1972); see also Bell (1983) and Dissing (1992)] - Spores 16-20-celled, 50-57 × 3.5-4.5µm. Asci 70-80 × 12-16µm. Sporormia fimetaria (These two taxa may represent the extremes of S. fimetaria).

11(7) Spores 4-celled. 12 - Spores more than 4-celled. 22

12(11) Spores more than 65-70µm long. 13 - Spores less than 65-70µm long. 15

13(12) Spores 65-95 × 15-18µm. Sporormiella megalospora - Spores longer than 90µm. 14

14(13) Spores 90-118 × 15-20µm. Asci tapering gradually from the broadest part near the apex to a 'stipe'. Sporormiella ovina (figs 18, 21) - Spores 91-114 × (14)18-21µm. Asci cylindrical, abruptly contracted below to a short 'stipe'. Sporormiella borealis

15(12) Spores mostly less than 35µm long. 16 - Spores mostly between 35-60µm long. 19

16(15) Spores less than 25µm long. 17 - Spores 25-35(38)µm long. 18

17(16) Spores (15)17-24(26) × 5-7µm, end cells broadly conical. Ascospores uniseriate. Asci 120-135µm long. Pseudothecia 250-300µm diam. Sporormiella pulchella - Spores 16-22 × 4.5-5.5µm, end cells subovate. Ascospores biseriate. Asci 95-125µm long. Pseudothecia 300-350µm diam. Sporormiella nigropurpurea

18(16) Spores 30-38.5 × 5.5-6.5µm. Asci clavate, tapering gradually below to a 'stipe'. Sporormiella leporina - Spores 27-36(38) × 4-6(8)µm, tending to break in two at the middle septum. Asci cylindrical, abruptly contracted below. Sporormiella minima (fig. 21)

19(15) Spores with end cells rounded. Asci cylindrical, abruptly contracted below. 20 - Spores with end cells tapered and slightly conical. Asci clavate, tapering gradually to a long stalk. 21

20(19) Spores 45-65 × 8-11.5µm. Sporormiella intermedia (figs 19-21) - Spores 38-46 × 6.5-8µm. Sporormiella australis

21(19) Spores 45-60 × 11.5-14µm, germ slits parallel with long axis. Sporormiella grandispora - Spores 35-45(48) × 7-9(10)µm. Sporormiella lageniformis (fig. 21)

22(11) Spores 5-celled, 70-80 × 17-19µm. Sporormiella pentamera - Spores more than 5-celled. 23

23(22) Spores 7- or 8-celled. 24 - Spores 13-celled, 46-60 × 9-10µm. Sporormiella antarctica

24(23) Spores 7-celled. 25 - Spores 8-celled. 26

25(24) Spores 40-55 × 7-9µm, readily disarticulating, the end cells longer than wide, the rest shorter than wide. Sporormiella vexans (fig. 21) - Spores 70-80 × 16-18µm, end cells rounded. Sporormiella heptamera

26(24) Spores mostly longer than 45µm. 27 - Spores less than 50µm long, not disarticulating at the central septum. 28

27(26) Spores 45-60 × 5-7.5µm, disarticulating at the central septum, all cells the same width. Sporormiella bipartis (fig. 21) - Spores 50-59 × 10-12µm, not disarticulating, 3rd cell down wider than the others. Sporormiella corynespora

28(26) Spores (33)37-40(49) × 7-9µm, cylindrical. Asci abruptly contracted below. Sporormiella pascua - Spores 40-48 × 7-8µm, fusiform cylindrical. Asci gradually tapered below. Sporormiella octomera