Phyllachorella
Phyllachorella Syd., Annls mycol. 12(5): 489 (1914).
Index Fungorum number: IF 4050; Facesoffungi number: FoF 11903, 2 morphological species (Species Fungorum 2022), no molecular data available.
Epiphytes on the host leaf surface, forming conspicuous ascostromata. Sexual morph: Ascostromata gregarious, with numerous ascomata clustering together forming black, superficial, velvety patches. Peridium of locules laterally, thinner at the apex and the base, coriaceous, two-layered, outer layer composed of small heavily pigmented thick-walled cells textura angularis, inner layer composed of hyaline thin-walled cells textura angularis. Pseudoparaphyses not observed. Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, cylindrical to clavate, with a short narrow twisted pedicel, apically rounded; with a small ocular chamber. Ascospores irregularly arranged to uniseriate near the base, hyaline, aseptate, deeply constricted at the septum, oblong to ovate, with broadly to narrowly rounded ends, the upper cell often broader than the lower one, smooth, guttulate. Asexual morph: Unknown (adapted from Liu et al. 2012).
Type species: Phyllachorella micheliae Syd.
Notes: Phyllachorella is characterised by numerous superficial “phyllachorae” ascostromata, cylindrical to clavate asci, and hyaline, septate, oblong to ovate ascospores. Kar and Maity (1971) found P. micheliae in India and described it as ‘hypophyllous, 2–3 occasionally coalescing stromata and cylindro clavate, pedicellate asci’. Liu et al. (2012) re-examined the type specimen of Phyllachorella (SF5795) and recorded the ascospores as hyaline as previously mentioned by Sydow (1914). Kar and Maity (1971) reported the ascospores as brown within the asci hence, it is uncertain whether their material examined was Phyllachorella or not. Molecular data is lacking for Phyllachorella hence there is no phylogenetic study on this genus. Phyllachorella is considered a distinct genus based on morphology namely ascostromata, thick-walled peridium of brown cells of textura angularis or globulosa, cylindrical to clavate asci and aseptate ascospores. Fresh collections with DNA sequence data is needed to confirm this placement.
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