XVI International Botanical Congess

Difficulty in resolving species identities of freshwater collections of Halosarpheia prompted an examination of the taxonomic characters of this genus. Isolates of described and putative Halosarpheia species were grown under similar culture conditions to compare colony characteristics and morphological characters of the sexual states. For species not available in culture, data were obtained from protologues and other descriptions. A compilation of morphological data and illustrations for both described and putative Halosarpheia species is presented, including the description of a character not previously associated with the genus, an ascospore sheath. Morphological data and restriction enzyme digests were used to put isolates into species groups that will be used for molecular and morphological phylogenetic analysis.