Pseudotrichia
Pseudotrichia Kirschst., Annls mycol. 37(1/2): 125 (1939).
Index Fungorum number: IF 4497; Facesoffungi number: FoF 00784, 11 morphological species (Species Fungorum, 2022), 6 species with molecular data.
Saprobic or parasitic in terrestrial or rarely aquatic habitats. Sexual morph: Ascomata solitary or scattered, initially immersed, becoming erumpent, to nearly superficial, globose to pyriform, carbonaceous, ostiolate. Ostiole usually widely porate with elongated papilla, ostiolar canal filled with a tissue of hyaline cells and centre covered with setae. Peridium comprising several layers of thick-walled cells of textura angularis; outer layer heavily pigmented, comprising small, dark brown to black cells, inner cells lightly pigmented or hyaline. Hamathecium of dense, hyaline, septate, narrow, unbranched, cellular pseudoparaphyses. Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, elongate, fusoid or clavate to cylindrical, with narrow, long, furcate pedicel, thickened and rounded at the apex, with small ocular chamber. Ascospores uniseriate or distichously arranged, partially overlapping, fusoid, straight to curved, 3- to multiseptate, constricted or not at the septa, smooth-walled, thick-walled without a sheath, hyaline or pale brown at maturity. Asexual morph: Unknown (Adapted from Thambugala et al., 2014).
Type species: Pseudotrichia stromatophila Kirschst.
Notes: Pseudotrichia was introduced by Kirschstein (1939) with P. stromatophila as type species. Pseudotrichia is characterized by globose to pyriform, carbonaceous, ostiolate ascomata, elongate, fusoid or clavate to cylindrical asci and partially overlapping, fusoid, straight to curved, 3- to multiseptate ascospores. Huhndorf (1994) introduced Pseudotrichia guatopoensis based on the peripheral arrangement of asci and trabeculate pseudoparaphyses. The placement of Pseudotrichia has been controversial in recent years. Petrak considered Pseudotrichia in Lophiostomataceae based on the shape of the apex of the ascomata, while Barr (1990) treated the genus in Platystomaceae. Mugambi amd Huhndorf (2009) treated Pseudotrichia in Melanommataceae based on LSU and TEF1 sequence data of P. mutabilis even though Pseudotrichia guatopoensis formed a distinct lineage in Platystomaceae together with Platystomum compressum outside Melanommataceae. Mugambi amd Huhndorf (2009) postulated that P. guatopoensis might belong to Platystomaceae. Thambugala et al. (2014) examined the familial types of Melanommataceae and Montagnulaceae and excluded Pseudotrichia stromatophila from Melanommataceae based on ascomatal and peridial morphology, cellular, septate, unbranched pseudoparaphyses, and asci with long pedicels. Thambugala et al. (2014) tentatively assigned Pseudotrichia in Didymosphaeriaceae (≡ Montagnulaceae). Species of Pseudotrichia are delineated based on the size and number of septa of their ascospores. Liu et al. (2015) introduced two species Pseudotrichia rubriostiolata and P. thailandica and accepted Pseudotrichia in Melannomataceae based on LSU, SSU and TEF1 sequence data. In the phylogenetic analysis of Tian et al. (2015), P. rubriostiolata and P. thailandica formed a single clade between Roussoellaceae and Aigialaceae and was accommodated in a new genus Thysanolaenae. Since sequence data of P. stromatophila is not available in GenBank, Tian et al. (2015) excluded Pseudotrichia from Melanommataceae and transferred it to Pleomassariaceae as two strains Pseudotrichia mutabilis SMH 5288, SMH 1541 clustered in Pleomassariaceae. Pseudotrichia is currently a distinct genus in Pleomassariaceae but fresh collections are needed to verify the taxonomic placement of the genus. Pseudotrichia needs to be epitypified.
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