Leptosphaerulina
Leptosphaerulina McAlpine, Fungus Diseases of stonefruit trees in Australia: 103. 1902.
Index Fungorum number: IF 2802; Facesoffungi number: FoF 08225, 49 morphological species (Species Fungorum 2022), 10 species with molecular data.
Saprobic or pathogenic on host. Sexual morph: Ascomata pseudothecial, solitary to aggregated in clusters, brown, superficial on agar medium, obpyriform to subglobose, ostiole central, outer wall covered with short, brown hyphal setae, with obtuse ends. Asci 8-spored, hyaline, obovoid, bitunicate with strongly developed apical chamber. Ascospores multiseriate in asci, hyaline, smooth, with mucoid sheath, 4 transverse septa, and 2–3 vertical, and 1–2 oblique septa, constricted at second vertical septum from apex, ellipsoid to obovoid, tapering from middle of upper part of ascospore (widest point) to an acutely rounded apex, base obtusely rounded; hamathecial tissue dissolving among asci, and pseudoparaphyses not observed. Asexual morph: Unknown (adapted from Crous et al. 2011).
Type species: Leptosphaerulina australis McAlpine
Notes: Leptosphaerulina is characterised by pycnidial or avervular conidiomata, enteroblastic, phialidic, obpyriform or obovoid conidiogenous cells, and fusiform, ellipsoidal to obovoid, eguttulate conidia. Barr (1982) accepted Leptosphaerulina and Macroventuria in the Pseudosphaeriaceae. Irwin and Davis (1985) demarcated Leptosphaerulina based on ascospore shape and size and the number of transverse septa. Eriksson and Hawksworth (1998) transferred Leptosphaerulina to Pleosporaceae. Silva-Hanlin and Hanlin (1999) reported that Leptosphaerulina is related to Didymella bryoniae and Didymella (‘Mycosphaerella’) citrullina but differs in lacking pseudoparaphyses. Silva-Hanlin and Hanlin (1999) also found that L. chartatum and L. crassiasca were related to other pleosporaceous taxa and Leptosphaerulina taxa can be easily mistaken for Pleospora as the ascospores turn brown after discharge. Inderbitzin et al. (2000) accepted Leptosphaerulina in Pleosporaceae but Kodsueb et al. (2006) transferred Leptosphaerulina to Didymellaceae based on phylogenetic analyses. Leptosphaerulina resembles Macroventuria in having almost hyaline ellipsoid ascospores but differs in that the former occurs on alfalfa and turf grass (Sundheim & Wilcoxson 1965, Abler 2003) while Macroventuria taxa are saprobic. Leptosphaerulina is morphologically and phylogenetically a distinct genus in Didymellaceae. Molecular markers available for Leptosphaerulina are ITS, LSU, SSU, BTUB, RPB2 and TEF-1.
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