Thelebolus

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Thelebolus is a small group (genus) of fungi in the Thelebolaceae family. It’s often linked to the order Pezizales, and DNA studies suggest Thelebolus is closely related to other fungal groups such as Pseudeurotiaceae and Leotiales.

What it looks like
- The fruiting bodies (ascomata) are very small, usually under 500 micrometers across.
- They can look like apothecia, or be more like cleistothecia or perithecia, but they all contain asci (the spore sacs) in a hymenium (spore-forming layer).
- Most species have eight spores (ascospores) per ascus, but some can have hundreds of spores per ascus.
- In the lab, colonies on agar are smooth and pinkish. Conidia (asexual spores) are produced on hyphae in collars called phialides, giving a yeast-like appearance. Ascoma formation is best on carrot agar.

Where it lives
- Thelebolus species mostly grow on dung or in soil.
- They are psychrophiles, preferring cold temperatures, with an optimum around 10–15°C.
- They are common in (sub)arctic environments and may have adapted to survive in cold conditions and to pass through the guts of warm-blooded animals.

The best-known species
- Thelebolus stercoreus is cosmopolitan and a typical cold-loving member of the group. It forms pale yellow to brown cleistothecia and asci with 32–2000 ellipsoidal ascospores.
- Some forms with different ascospore counts were once thought to be separate species, but genetic studies do not support this.
- In Antarctica, T. stercoreus can grow in microalgal mats in lakes and may be linked to seabird dung.

Taxonomy at a glance
- Kingdom: Fungi
- Division: Ascomycota
- Class: Leotiomycetes
- Order: Thelebolales
- Family: Thelebolaceae
- Type species: Thelebolus stercoreus

DNA and identification
- The ITS region is a common DNA barcode for Thelebolus, but only a few variable sites exist. β-tubulin is recommended as a secondary barcode for more reliable identification.