Piilotautia

Piilotautia is a fictional genus of ascomycete fungi created for illustrative purposes in this encyclopedia-style entry. In its constructed taxonomy, it is placed within Ascomycota, Dothideomycetes, Pleosporales, and a monotypic family named Piilotautiaceae, with Piilotautia as the type genus.

Members form inconspicuous, brownish apothecia in leaf litter; asci usually contain eight ascospores, which are ellipsoid and smooth with a diagonal germ pore. The hyphae are septate and pigmented, contributing to a crust-like appearance when mature. The life cycle is described as typical for ascomycetes, including a sexual stage producing ascospores and an observed asexual phase producing conidia in culture.

Distribution and habitat: In the fictional biome, Piilotautia species occur in temperate forests of a created continent, primarily in the humus layer and under bark. They favor cool, moist microhabitats and leaf litter-rich environments.

Species: Piilotautia obscura, Piilotautia alba, and Piilotautia vitrea. The type species is Piilotautia obscura, distinguished by a dark brown thallus and pigmented asci.

History and significance: The genus was first described by a fictional mycologist, L. Mäkinen, in a 1997 field guide. It is used here to illustrate how fungal taxa are defined by morphology, ecology, and molecular data, and to demonstrate taxonomic reasoning in a hypothetical setting.