Macalpinomyces

Macalpinomyces is a fungus genus in the Ustilaginaceae family. It has a widespread distribution, almost worldwide. These smut fungi from Ustilaginomycotina contain about 540 described species. Species from the complex often possess characteristics that occur in more than one genus, creating uncertainty for species placement. The genus name of Macalpinomyces is in honour of Daniel McAlpine (1849–1932), who was a Scottish-born Australian mycologist known for his research in plant pathology. The genus was circumscribed by Raymond Forbes Newton Langdon and R.A. Fullerton in Trans. Brit. Mycol. Soc. vol.68 Issue 1, on page 30 in 1977. Langdon & Fullerton (1977) established Macalpinomyces to accommodate M. eriachnes, which they considered as distinct from Sporisorium and Ustilago (other Smut (fungus) genera). As Macalpinomyces lacked columellae, produced sterile cells and the spores were uniformly ornamented and polyangular or sub-polyangular (Langdon & Fullerton 1977, Vánky 1996). The origi......read more on Wikipedia.