Kaasupolttimella

Kaasupolttimella is a small, filamentous fungus that has been recorded from several temperate forest sites in Northern Europe. The species was first described in 1987 by Finnish mycologist J. Virtanen, who noted its distinctive orange–red spore print and the presence of spiny spore ornamentation. It belongs to the order Hypocreales within the class Sordariomycetes. The generic name is derived from the Finnish words “kaasu” meaning gas and “polttimella,” a diminutive of “polttimeli,” referring to a lamp, a reference made by the author to the fungus’s glowing spores when observed under ultraviolet illumination.

Morphologically, kaasupolttimella produces conidia on a branched, sparsely pigmented stromatic substrate that typically covers decaying hardwood. The fruiting bodies are pale pink, 2–4 mm in diameter, with a dense arrangement of conidiogenous cells. Spore dimensions range from 10–12 µm in length and 5–6 µm in width. The species has been observed to grow on the bark of Quercus robur and Picea abies, though its ecological role appears to be primarily saprobic, breaking down lignocellulosic material.

Microscopic examination reveals that the conidia show a unique combination of longitudinal ridges and shallow pits, a feature that has been used to differentiate kaasupolttimella from closely related taxa such as Hypochnicium indicum. In culture, it grows slowly at 20 °C, producing a bright orange pigment that has attracted interest in natural product chemistry.

Despite its initial popularity in mycological surveys, subsequent molecular phylogenetic studies have placed kaasupolttimella within a clade of poorly defined fungi whose taxonomy requires further revision. As of the latest literature, the species is listed in regional fungal checklists but remains uncommon in global databases.