Ascodesmis nigricans

[1] It was firstly introduced by Philippe Édouard Léon Van Tieghem, a French botanist, and was the type species of the genus Ascodesmis.

[2] It is an uncommon species but its development of the fruit body has been the subject of much laboratory study due to the easy nature of its cultivation.

[1] The genus Ascodesmis belonged to discomycetes which is characterized by species contained disc-shaped ascocarps called apothecia.

This error was corrected soon after the publication, by Fridiano Cavara an Italian botanist who had published his observation and record of A. nigricans grew on human feces.

[8] Apothecium, the cup-shaped fruit body of A. nigricans, could be alone or gregarious and its small size make this species difficult to be collected frequently from the natural environment.

[12] The formation of apothecium begins with the lateral hyphae which then branch dichotomously and form T-shaped gametangial initials.

[7] Following nuclear fusion, the oogonium expands and about three ascogenous hyphae would develop from it and give rise to asci which then produce ascospores.

[8] As a coprophilous fungus, A. nigricans is commonly isolated from the dung of both omnivorous and herbivore animals, such as dogs, goat, sheep, rat, donkey, pig, fox and ostrich.

[1] Its distributions cover France, India, Italy, Portugal, Canada, U.S.A., England, Denmark, Sweden.