Xylopezia
Xylopezia Höhn., Annls mycol. 15(5): 308 (1917).
Index Fungorum number: IF 5847; Facesoffungi number: FoF 12537, 1 morphological species (Species Fungorum 2022), no molecular data available.
Saprobic on host. Sexual morph: Ascomata lignicolous, dark colored, raising the overlying substrate into pustules but not becoming erumpent, the hymenium exposed by erosion of the overlying host and fungus tissue to form a broad circular pore. Margin of densely-packed, dark hyphal textura intricata, sometimes carbonized externally. Interthecial filaments (pseudoparaphyses) numerous, filiform, septate, branched, and anastomosing above to form an epithecium. Hymenial gel I–. Asci thick-walled, cylindrical, I–, without a distinct apical pore or ring, not functionally bitunicate, 8-spored. Ascospores colorless, transversely septate. Asexual morph: Unknown (adapted from Sherwood-Pike and Boise 1986).
Type species: Xylopezia hemisphaerica (Fr.) Sherwood
Notes: Xylopezia is characterised by lignicolous, dark colored ascomata, cylindrical, I- asci and colorless, transversely septate ascospores. Xylopezia resembles Odontotrema in producing orbicular, black, immersed ascomata opening via a pore, and have transversely septate hyaline ascospores. Sherwood-Pike and Boise (1986) reported that the classification of Xylopezia is doubtful since the genus seems to have ascolocular development, but the asci do not look functionally bitunicate. Sherwood-Pike and Boise (1986) considered secondary features of pigmentation, spore septation and growth habit to differentiate between Xylopezia and Odontotrema and postulated that this might be a result of convergent evolution. Sherwood-Pike and Boise (1986) suggested the placement of Xylopezia in Dothideomycetes and believed that the asci have secondarily lost their bitunicate discharge mechanism. Höhnnel (1917) considered Xylopezia and Odontotrema as two distinct genera. Höhnnel (1917) considered Xylopezia to belong to the Phacidiales together with Colpoma and Therrya based on the stromatized covering layer while those of Odontotrema have a more excipuloid margin. Höhnnel (1917) also considered that Xylopezia lacks the I+ blue hymenial gel that occurs in most species of Odontotrema. Lumbsch and Huhndorf (2010), Kirk et al. (2013) and Wijayawardene et al. (2017, 2020) listed Xylopezia in Dothideomycetes genera incertae sedis. Molecular data is lacking. Fresh collections with DNA sequence data are needed to confirm the systematic position of Xylopezia.
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