Asterosporiaceae Senan., Maharachch. & K.D. Hyde, Stud. Mycol. 86: 236 (2017)

MycoBank number: MB 821539; Index Fungorum number: IF 821539; Facesoffungi number: FoF 03459; 4 species.

Endophytic or saprobic on Betulaceae, Fagaceae, Juglandaceae and Sapindaceae. Sexual morph: Undetermined. Asexual morph: Coelomycetous. Conidiomata acervular, subepidermal, erumpent at maturity, solitary, or occasionally confluent, unilocular, dark brown to black. Conidiomata wall composed of thin-walled, brown cells of textura angularis. Conidiophores cylindrical, branched at the base, septate, hyaline to pale brown. Conidiogenous cells holoblastic, cylindrical, unbranched, integrated, determinate, hyaline to pale brown, smooth. Conidia terminal, transversely distoseptate, consisting of four arms, with reduced lumina, brown, smooth-walled (adapted from Senanayake et al. 2017a).

Type genusAsterosporium Kunze

Notes – Asterosporiaceae is based on the single genus Asterosporium (Senanayake et al. 2017a) and is morphologically distinct from other families in Diaporthales having star-like arms, bearing brown conidia and acervular conidiomata. Asterosporium species occur in temperate regions. We illustrate Asterosporium asterospermum.