Caryosporaceae Huang Zhang, K.D. Hyde & Ariyaw., Fungal Divers., 75: 54 (2015).

MycoBank number: MB 551417; Index Fungorum number: IF 551417; Facesoffungi number: FoF 00957, 10 species.

Saprobic on submerged wood in freshwater or mangrove habitats or on decaying terrestrial seeds. Sexual morph: Ascomata pseudothecial, erumpent, superficial, hemisphaerical, large, dark brown to black, carbonaceous, ostiolate, solitary or clustered. Ostiole central, circular, brown to black. Peridium thick, carbonized, dark brown, composed of rectangular, often occluded cells. Hamathecium comprising numerous, narrow (less than 1 μm wide), hyaline, trabeculate, anastomosing pseudoparaphyses, embedded in a gelatinous matrix. Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, broadly cylindrical to clavate, pedicellate, with an ocular chamber. Ascospores 1–3-seriate, relatively large, broad-fusiform, ovoid or ellipsoidal, hyaline when young, hyaline or brown when mature, 1−(−3)-septate, constricted at the central septa, ends often papillate, often with polar germ pores at each end, with relatively thick-walled, smooth-walled, with or without a mucilaginous sheath (adapted from Ariyawansa et al. 2015a). Asexual morph: Undetermined.

Type – Caryospora De Not.

Notes – Caryosporaceae was established by Ariyawansa et al. (2015a), typified by Caryospora. Caryosporaceae is characterized by erumpent, large and hemisphaerical ascomata and the structure of its ascomata is similar to Astrosphaeriella and Trematosphaeria. The ascospores are broadly fusiform, with relatively thick walls in Caryospora, while elongate-fusiform and thin- walled in Astrosphaeriella and fusoid and thin-walled in Trematosphaeria (Boise 1985a, Hyde & Fröhlich 1998, Liu et al. 2011). Acrocordiopsis was also placed into this family (Ariyawansa et al. 2015a). However, the type species of Acrocordiopsis, A. patilii, formed a sister clade with Astrosphaeriella and Astrosphaeriellopsis in Astrosphaeriellaceae (Zhang et al. 2018). The phylogenetic relationship between Caryospora and Acrocordiopsis are not stable as sister groups (Zhang et al. 2018). Further research is needed to resolve their relationship.

Genera

  • Caryospora