Pseudaleuria fibrillosa

Small cup-shaped apothecia arising directly from bare ground, 0.5 to 2 cm in diameter, with a vivid orange hymenium, and a paler, tomentose external surface, with fragile and brittle flesh.

Special thanks to Juan Andrés Román for providing the specimens for study back in 2018.

External hairs hyaline or containing faint brownish intracellular pigment, variable in length from 100 to 400 µm, 12 to 20 µm wide, multiseptate, with rounded apices.

Medullary excipulum composed of short, interwoven cylindrical hyphae, thin- to slightly thick-walled, 6 to 10 µm wide, multiseptate, with slight constrictions at the septa.

Ectal excipulum formed by globose to angular hyphae, moderately thick-walled, 25 to 60 µm in diameter.

Asci cylindrical, 8-spored, operculate, 200 to 240 µm long, 12 to 15 µm wide, uniseriate, inamyloid in Melzer's reagent.

Paraphyses filiform, simple, septate, 3 to 4 µm wide, with distinct apical enlargements measuring 5 to 10 µm wide, containing abundant granular orange pigment inside.

Ascospores cylindrical-ellipsoidal, thick- and smooth-walled, yellowish-brown under the microscope, 16 to 20 µm long, 9 to 10.5 µm wide, with a homogeneous interior devoid of guttules.