Olive Catinella (Catinella olivacea)
- Department: Ascomycota (Ascomycetes)
- Subdivision: Pezizomycotina (Pezizomycotins)
- Class: Leotiomycetes (Leociomycetes)
- Subclass: Leotiomycetidae (Leocyomycetes)
- Order: Helotiales (Helotiae)
- Family: Dermateaceae (Dermateacaceae)
- Genus: Catinella (Katinella)
- Type: Catinella olivacea (Olive Catinella)
Description:
Fruit bodies at first almost spherical and closed, at maturity saucer-shaped or disc-shaped, with a smooth or wavy edge, sessile, 0.5-1 cm (occasionally up to 2 cm) in diameter, finely fleshy. The color of the disk in young fruiting bodies is yellowish-green or dark green, becoming dark olive-black when fully ripe. The edge is lighter, yellowish, yellow-green or yellow-brown, distinctly furrowed. At the site of attachment to the substrate, there are usually well-marked dark brown, radially diverging hyphae.
The flesh is thin, greenish or blackish. In a drop of alkali, it gives a brownish or dirty violet color.
Asci are narrow-club-shaped, 75-120 x 5-6 microns, with 8 spores arranged in one row, non-amyloid
Spores 7-11 x 3.5-5 µm, ellipsoid or almost cylindrical, often with a constriction in the middle (resembling a footprint), brownish, unicellular, with two drops of oil.
Spread:
It bears fruit from August to November on rotten wood of deciduous trees, sometimes on the fruiting bodies of polypores, usually in damp places. It is found in temperate and tropical latitudes of the northern hemisphere. In Our Country, it is noted in the Samara Region and Primorsky Territory. Pretty rare.
The similarity:
May be confused with species of the genera Chlorociboria (Chlorosplenium) and Chlorencoelia, also growing on wood and having green or olive tones in color. However, they are characterized by fruiting bodies with a short stem, bluish-green (turquoise or aqua) in chlorociboria, mustard yellow or olive in chlorencelia. Catinella olivacea is distinguished by its darker, greener, almost black fruiting bodies at maturity, with a sharply contrasting edge and the complete absence of a stem. The staining of alkalis (KOH or ammonia) in a dirty purple color when a piece of the fruiting body is placed in a drop, as well as brownish spores and non-amyloid bags are additional distinguishing features of this species.