Chadefaudiellaceae Faurel & Schotter, Mycotaxon 12(1): 46 (1980)
MycoBank number: MB 80580; Index Fungorum number: IF 80580; Facesoffungi number: FoF 01666; 6 species.
Saprobic on mammal dung. Sexual morph: Stromata absent. Ascomata elongate or perithecial, hemisphaerical, embedded. Interascal tissue of undifferentiated hyphae, basal perithecial envelope black, globular, carbonaceous, foot cylindrical, light yellow to brown, translucent, striated, brown apex, the upper part formed from anastomosing setae, lacking ostioles. Peridium pseudoparenchymatous, composed of textura angularis embedded in the substrate and with an aerial “capillitium”. Asci 8-spored, catenulate, globose or clavate, evanescent. Ascospores overlapping, pale yellow to brown, aseptate, hyaline to pale brown, ellipsoidal or fusiform, lacking germ pores, smooth-walled or with striations, dextrinoid or not dextrinoid, turning to reddish brown in Melzer’s reagent (adapted from Benny & Kimbrough 1980, Maharachchikumbura et al. 2016). Asexual morph: Hyphomycetous, forming arthrospores (Wijayawardene et al. 2017b).
Type genus – Chadefaudiella Faurel & Schotter
Notes– Chadefaudiellaceae was validated by Benny & Kimbrough (1980) and typified by Chadefaudiella. The family consists of species with immersed ascomata lacking ostioles, with a pseudoparenchymatous peridium and aerial thick-walled ‘capillitium’, enclosing catenulate, evanescent asci with non-dextrinoid ascospores devoid of germ pores (Cannon & Kirk 2007). The species was originally found on gazelle dung at Koudou, Chad (Africa) (Benny & Kimbrough 1980). The classification of Faurelina has been problematic and despite the similarities with Chadefaudiella noted by Locquin-Linard (1975), it has undergone many changes in terms of its higher order placement. The placement of Faurelina was debatable and has been speculated to have affinities with many different groups such as Sordariaceae, Testudinaceae, Pithoascaceae and even in Dothideomycetes (Locquin-Linard 1975, Parguey-Leduc & Locquin-Linard 1976, von Arx 1978). Finally, the genus was placed in Chadefaudiellaceae along with Chadefaudiella (Cannon & Kirk 2007, Tang et al. 2007, Maharachchikumbura et al. 2015).
Réblová et al. (2011) excluded Faurelina from Chadefaudiellaceae. However, they suggested that further molecular analysis was required and revision of the family. Wijayawardene et al. (2017a), in their checklist included an arthrographis-like asexual morph for Faurelina (Locquin-Linard 1975) and confirmed the placement of Faurelina in Chadefaudiellaceae. In Chadefaudiella ascomata have apical anastomosing setae and ascospores are not dextrinoid.
Genera