The order Pezizales has been divided into two suborders. One suborder, the Sarcoscyphineae, was originally described to include members whose asci were characterized by an unusual apical structure, the suboperculum. Disagreements as to how this structure should be defined, and indeed, whether or not it exists at all, have rendered the status of the suborder controversial. The two families within this suborder are the Sarcoscyphaceae and the Sarcosomataceae. Recent ultrastructural work demonstrates that there is an apical thickening which is restricted to the Sarcoscyphaceae. In order to test the monophyly of the suborders of the Pezizales and examine the relationships within the Sarcoscyphineae, phylogenetic analyses were carried out using DNA sequence data from the 18S rRNA gene. The strict consensus tree based upon these data shows both the Sarcoscyphineae and the Pezizineae as paraphyletic. These data suggest that the subordinal taxa currently recognized within the Pezizales should be abandoned and the taxonomy revised to reflect phylogenetic relationships. Strongly supported clades (i.e., greater than 95% bootstrap value, 1500 replicates) include: the Pezizaceae, the Morchellaceae, the Sarcoscyphaceae, the Helvellaceae, and a clade that includes the Sarcosomataceae (which is paraphyletic), and the Otidiaceae (represented only by 2 taxa). The genus Pindara, formerly placed in the Sarcoscyphaceae, is nested within the Helvellaceae, and Wynnea, assigned to the Sarcosomataceae by some authors, is positioned in the Sarcoscyphaceae.
Journal Articles: 2000-1991
Phylogenetic studies within the Pezizales. I. 18S rRNA sequence data and classification. Mycologia , 91 , pp. 41-50.Abstract
, 1999.
Phylogenetic relationships among species of Phillipsia inferred from molecular and morphological data. Mycologia , 91 , pp. 299-314.Abstract
, 1999.
The Psilopezioid Fungi .9. Pachyella Habrospora, a New Species from Brazil. Mycotaxon , 54 , pp. 393-396.
, 1995.
A Further Note on Byssonectria (Pezizales). Mycotaxon , 53 , pp. 431-432.
, 1995.
Orbilia-Fimicola, a Nematophagous Discomycete and Its Arthrobotrys Anamorph. Mycologia , 86 , pp. 451-453.Abstract
, 1994.
Sayre, Geneva (1911-1992). Bryologist , 96 , pp. 475-478.
, 1993.
A Synopsis of the North-American Species of Byssonectria (Pezizales) with Comments on the Ontogeny of Two Species. Mycologia , 85 , pp. 952-962.Abstract
, 1993.
A Note on Some Drawings of Fungi by Cecilia Jane Berkeley in the Farlow Reference Library. Mycologia , 84 , pp. 911-912.
, 1992.
A Collection of Peziza-Nivalis from California with Comments on the Nomenclature of the Snow Bank Pezizas. Mycotaxon , 43 , pp. 171-175.Abstract
, 1992.
A Redescription of Peziza-Bananicola and Comments on Some Similar Tropical Species. Mycotaxon , 41 , pp. 505-507.
, 1991.