Summary: Features include small, hard, black cups that emerge from dead branches of alder, single or in clusters, absent or short stem, and microscopic characters including one-septate ascospores. The asci of species of Tympanis are usually filled with many small secondary spores: 8 well-developed ascospores are found extremely rarely, (Breitenbach & Kranzlin).
Microscopic: microscopic characters as in T. alnea (Groves, but see note in SIMILAR), spores 5-6 x 4.5 microns; asci (110)135-190(215) x (14)18-22(25) microns, (Ouellette)
Notes: Collections were examined from BC, NF, NS, ON, PQ, NY, Denmark, Finland, and Germany, (Ouellette). Collections were examined from NS, ON, PQ, NY, and Germany, (Groves).
Habitat and Range
SIMILAR SPECIES
Tympanis alnea occurs on the same host (alder), but T. hysterioides differs "in having one-septate ascospores and ultimate cells which are intermediate in size between those of T. alnea and T. pseudoalnea. The apothecia are pale brown when sectioned and hysteriform in outline; this, however, is mainly due to their gregarious habit; the few solitary apothecia remain orbicular." The ultimate cells, the last in the series of buddings from the germinating spore are less than 1 micron in diameter in T. pseudoalnea. (Ouellette).
Habitat
single (Groves), cespitose (Ouellette), on Alnus (alder)
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names: Dasyscypha ciliata G.G. Hahn Lachnella ciliata (G.G. Hahn) Seaver Tympanis alnea var. hysterioides (Rehm) Rehm