Melioliphila
Melioliphila Speg., Boln Acad. nac. Cienc. Córdoba 26(2-4): 344 (1921).
Index Fungorum number: IF 3109; Facesoffungi number: FoF 12288, 11 morphological species (Species Fungorum 2022), no molecular data available.
Parasitic on Meliola panici (Meliolaceae) growing on leaves of Lasiacis divaricata in Puerto Rico. Sexual morph: Ascomata globose, developing on a poorly developed, yellowish to fleshy-pink, subiculum, covered by powder-like, white colonies, with sparsely radiating setae. Setae erect, narrowly tapering towards apex, hyaline, septate. Hamathecium lacking pseudoparaphyses. Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, elliptical-fusoid, short pedicellate, somewhat flattened at apex. Ascospores 2-seriate, narrowly-fusoid, initially with minute appendages at both ends and appendages disappearing and both ends becoming blunt when mature, 7–9-guttulate present when immature, becoming 7–9-septate when mature, hyaline to pale smoky. Asexual morph: Unknown (adapted from Boonmee et al. 2014).
Type species: Melioliphila graminicola Speg.
Notes: Melioliphila is characterised by globose ascomata, formed on a poorly developed, yellowish to fleshy-pink subiculum, bitunicate, elliptical-fusoid, short pedicellate asci and seriate, narrowly-fusoid ascospores. Saccardo (1972) placed Melioliphila in Hypocreales. Pirozynski (1977) transferred Melioliphila to “hypocreoid Dothideales”. Barr (1980) treated Melioliphila in Tubeufiaceae based on its mycoparasitic lifestyle, bitunicate asci and elongate ascospores. Rossman (1979, 1987) considered M. graminicola as a synonym of M. volutella. Rossman (1987, 1999) placed M. graminicola in Tubeufiaceae. Boonmee et al. (2017) provided a brief description and drawing of M. graminicola based on the protologue of Spegazzini (1924) and the drawing on the herbarium packet (www. cybertruffle.org.uk/spegazzini/eng/001626a). Boonmee et al. (2017) excluded Melioliphila from Tubeufiaceae based on the hyaline setae, elliptical-fusoid asci, fusoid ascospores and absence of pseudoparaphyses. According to Index Fungorum (2022), the type species of Melioliphila, M. graminicola has been synonymized with Microdochium nivale. Molecular data is lacking for Melioliphila. Fresh specimens with DNA sequence data are needed to confirm the systematic position of Melioliphila.
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