Chapter 136 - Bensingtonia Ingold emend. Nakase & Boekhout (1986)

Abstract

This chapter studies the genus Bensingtonia. In the determination of the asexual reproduction it is seen that colonies are whitish, cream, pale pink, brownish-yellow (ochre), brownish, or grayish-red. True hyphae and/or pseudohyphae may be present. Hyphal septa attenuate toward a central pore. Yeast cells are ellipsoidal, ovoid, or elongate. Budding is usually polar, with buds sessile or on short denticles, enteroblastic, and with per-current or sympodial proliferation. Ballistoconidia are bilaterally symmetrical, straight or curved, apiculate, ellipsoidal, ovoid, amygdaliform, falcate, allantoid, or reniform. In the sexual reproduction basidiocarps are absent. Species may be heterothallic. Conjugation of compatible mating types of Bensingtonia intermedia results in the formation of a teleomorphic stage, which is classified in the genus Mastigobasidium. The chapter also discusses physiology/biochemistry and phylogenetic placement of the genus. The type species taken is Bensingtonia ciliata. The key characters of species assigned to the genus Bensingtonia are presented. In the systematic discussion of the species, growth in yeast extract–malt extract (YM) broth, growth on yeast extract–malt extract (YM) agar, Dalmau plate culture on corn meal agar, formation of ballistoconidia, gene sequence accession numbers, type strain, origin of the strains studied, systematics, and ecology are determined.