Nectria peziza or Yellow Spot is an ascomycete fungus with bright yellow to orange globose fruiting bodies (0.2-0.4mm across) found on rotting polypores, well rotted deadwood, bark, dung, and decaying cloth. It's globular fruiting bodies (peritheca), quite large for the genus, may be isolated or crowded; they have a slightly prominent black dot at the top, the ostiolum, this being the entrance to the inner cavity; the bodies often collapse into a cup-shape when dry and the colour fades to pale yellow or whitish.

Synonyms

This fungus has an unusually large number of previous binomials, such as –
Sphaeria peziza (1791); Hydropisphaera peziza (1822); Dialonectria peziza (1884); Cucurbitaria peziza (1898); Neuronectria peziza (1957); Byssonectria bryophila (1985); Sphaeria aurea (1823); Nectria aurea (1879); Dialonectria aurea (1884); Cucurbitaria aurea (1898); Byssonectria epigaea; and Nectria epigaea (1879).

Classification

N. peziza belongs to the order

Order (biology)

In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...

 Hypocreales

Hypocreales

The Hypocreales are an order of fungi within the class Sordariomycetes, consisting of 7 families, 237 genera, and 2647 species.Species of Hypocreales are usually recognized by their brightly colored, perithecial ascomata, or spore-producing structures...

 within the class Sordariomycetes

Sordariomycetes

The Sordariomycetes are a class of fungi in the subdivision Pezizomycotina , consisting of 15 orders, 64 families, 1119 genera, and 10564 species.Sordariomycetes generally produce their asci in perithecial fruiting bodies....

, usually recognized by their brightly coloured (usually red, orange or yellow), perithecial ascomata

Ascocarp

An ascocarp, or ascoma , is the fruiting body of an ascomycete fungus. It consists of very tightly interwoven hyphae and may contain millions of asci, each of which typically contains eight ascospores...

, or spore

Spore

In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...

-producing structures.

Distribution

N. peziza has been recorded from Africa (Seychelles); Asia (Japan, Pakistan); Caribbean Islands (Bermuda); Europe (Denmark, Germany); North America (USA, Canada); and New Zealand. It is recorded as growing on a wide range of tree species. In the British Isles it has a wide range of distribution and has been found in England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. N. peziza has even been found in Antarctica, growing in the Windmill Island

Windmill Island

Windmill Island Gardens is a municipal park located in the city of Holland, Michigan. It is home to the 245-year-old windmill De Zwaan, the only authentic, working Dutch windmill in the United States.-History:...

group.

External links

• The Virtual Field Guide.
• Index Fungorum.
• USDA ARS Fungal Database.
• http://www.searchnbn.net/gridMap/gridMap.jsp?dsKeys=GA000415%2CGA000428%2CGA000179%2CGA000468%2CEHS00005&srchSpKey=39710&col1=255%2C051%2C051&col2=255%2C153%2C051&col3=255%2C255%2C000&service=gridGBv4&width=600&height=600®ion=gbi&vcNum=0&res=1&grid=None&over=None&col=Red&date=Select+dates...&sy1=0&sy2=0&sy3=0&ey1=0&ey2=0&ey3=0&oline=Black&src=8&edit=editable+map#topOfMapThe National Biodiversity Network Gateway.]