Pleosporales - CBS - KNAW

Fungal Diversity
pseudoparaphyses, bitunicate, cylindrical to clavate asci with
a short pedicel, fusoid, hyaline, 1-septate ascospores surrounded
with a sheath, and with a Tetraploa-like anamorph
(Tanaka et al. 2009). Together with Tetraplosphaeria,
Pseudotetraploa, Quadricrura and Polyplosphaeria, Triplosphaeria
was assigned to the Tetraplosphaeriaceae (Tanaka
et al. 2009).
Ulospora D. Hawksw., Malloch & Sivan., in Hawksworth,
Can. J. Bot. 57: 96 (1979).
Type species: Ulospora bilgramii (D. Hawksw., C. Booth
& Morgan-Jones) D. Hawksw., Malloch & Sivan., Can. J.
Bot. 57: 96 (1979).
Ulospora was introduced as a monotypic genus to
accommodate taxa of Testudinaceae whose ascospore has
3–6 fissures (Hawksworth 1979). Genera of Testudinaceae
are distinguished based on the morphology of ascospores,
although the validity of this classification needs to be
confirmed by molecular study. DNA sequence based
phylogenies placed sequences from an unverified culture
of U. bilgramii in a clade together with Verruculina enalia,
and Lepidosphaeria nicotiae and it may have a close
relationship to species in Platystomaceae (Mugambi and
Huhndorf 2009b; Schoch et al. 2009; Plate 1).
Zopfia Rabenh., Fungi europ. exsicc.: no. 1734 (1874).
Type species: Zopfia rhizophila Rabenh., Fungi europ.
exsicc.: no. 1734 (1874).
Zopfia was introduced by Rabenhorst (1874) as a
monotypic genus (typified by Z. rhizophila), and it was
assigned to the Perisporiaceae by Saccardo (1882) and
Winter (1884). Arnaud (1913) described the Zopfiaceae to
accommodate Zopfia, and considered that it should be
excluded from the Perisporiaceae. A relatively broad
generic concept was accepted by Hawksworth and Booth
(1974), in which they take the ascospore size and
ornamentation variation as criteria under generic rank
classification, and they treat Celtidia, Lepidosphaeria,
Marchaliella, Neotestudina, Pontoporeia, Pseudophaeotrichum,
Rechingeriella, Richonia and Testudina as synonyms
of Zopfia. A narrow generic concept was adopted by
Hawksworth (1979), and Zopfia is characterized by 1-
septate ascospores, which are apiculate at both ends,
smooth-walled by light microscope, with minute irregular
pitting by SEM, and larger than other species of Zopfia
sensu Hawksworth and Booth (1974). Three species were
accepted, viz. Z. albiziae Farr, Z. biturbinata (Dur. &
Mont.) Malloch & Cain and Z. rhizophila, and they all
occur on roots of plants (Hawksworth 1979). DNA
sequences from an unverified culture of Zopfia rhizophila
placed it in close proximity to species in Delitschiaceae
without strong statistical support (Kruys et al. 2006; Schoch
et al. 2009; Plate 1).
Zopfiofoveola D. Hawksw., Can. J. Bot. 57: 98 (1979).
Type species: Zopfiofoveola punctata (D. Hawksw. & C.
Booth) D. Hawksw., Can. J. Bot. 57: 98 (1979).
≡ Zopfia punctata D. Hawksw. & C. Booth, Mycol. Pap.
153: 23 (1974).
Zopfiofoveola was hesitantly separated from Zopfia as a
monotypic new genus based on its evenly distributed
ornamentation with pale minute pits readily visible under
the light microscope, and the more elongate shape and less
pronounced apical papilla than those of Zopfia (Hawksworth
1979). The type specimen of this species however, cannot be
redescribed, because “the type species is only known from a
microscopic preparation obtained from earthworm excrements
in Sweden” as has been mentioned by Hawksworth (1979).
General discussion
Molecular phylogenetic studies based on four to five genes
indicate that 20 families should be included in Pleosporales
(Schoch et al. 2009; Shearer et al. 2009; Suetrong et al.
2009; Tanaka et al. 2009; Zhang et al. 2009a). Together
with five unverified families (marked with “?”), 26 families
are currently assigned under Pleosporales (Table 4). The
Phaeotrichaceae lacks pseudoparaphyses, has cleistothecial
ascomata with long setae, and conspicuous ascospores with
germ pores at each end. These characters do not agree with
the current concept of Pleosporales (Zhang et al. 2009a),
and therefore Phaeotrichaceae is excluded from Pleosporales
(Table 4).
Families in Pleosporales
Based on LSU and SSU rDNA, RPB1, RPB2 and TEF1
sequence analysis, Pleosporineae is emended, and in this
study, seven families are tentatively included, i.e. Cucurbitariaceae,
Didymellaceae, Didymosphaeriaceae, Dothidotthiaceae,
Leptosphaeriaceae, Phaeosphaeriaceae and
Pleosporaceae (Zhang et al. 2009a; Plate1). In this study,
Massarineae was emended to accommodate another five
families, viz. Lentitheciaceae, Massarinaceae, Montagnulaceae,
Morosphaeriaceae, Trematosphaeriaceae. The subordinal
affinity of other families remained undetermined.
Most of the families accepted within Pleosporales received
high bootstrap support (Plate 1). The characters used to
define a family, however, do not appear to have clear cut
boundaries, as the ascomatal and hamathecial characters also
seem to be poorly defined in some families. For example,
both trabeculate and cellular pseudoparaphyses coexist in the
Amniculicolaceae. Pycnidiophora, a genus of Sporormiaceae,
has cleistothecial ascomata with spherical asci irregularly
arranged in it. Brown phragmosporous ascospores are
reported in Amniculicolaceae, Leptosphaeriaceae, Lophios-