Hyphocapnodia Z.H. Lu & Maharachch., in Lu, Wanasinghe, Madrid & Maharachchikumbura, Phytotaxa 564(1): 90 (2022)

Index Fungorum number: IF 845348; FacesofFungi number: FoF 15608

Etymology: The name reflects the hyphomycetous morph phylogenetically related to Capnodium

Saprobic on living and decaying branches. Sexual morph: not observed. Asexual morph: on the natural substrate, colonies effuse, hairy, black. Mycelium immersed and superficial, forming dark brown conidiomata. Conidiomata synnematous, erect, subcylindrical, dark brown to black, with conidiogenous cells distributed mostly laterally, mainly towards the upper half of the synnemata. Conidiophores macronematous, simple, dark brown. Conidiogenous cells monoblastic, cylindrical, integrated, determinate, and smooth. Conidia subcylindrical to fusiform, brown, transversely septate, conidial secession schizolytic.

Note – Hyphocapnodia was introduced by Lu et al. (2022) as a monotypic genus based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of LSU, ITS, rpb2 and tef1 sequence data. Phylogenetically, this genus is closely related to Capnodium species (Lu et al. 2022). However, the asexual morph of Capnodium is coelomycetous (Abdollahzadeh et al. 2020; Wijayawardene et al. 2017), whereas Hyphocapnodia has a hyphomycetous asexual morph. Lu et al. (2022) noted that Hyphocapnodia is similar to Phaeoisaria (Pleurotheciaceae), Dokmaia (Pleosporales genera incertae sedis) and Neosporidesmium (Dothideomycetes genera incertae sedis) with its unbranched conidiophores forming distinct synnematal conidiomata (De Hoog & Papendorf 1976, Promputtha et al. 2003, Verma et al. 2021), but they are phylogenetically apart (except Neosporidesmium, of which sequence data is unavailable). The new genus has relatively close phylogenetic proximity to the Capnodium species. However, the asexual morph of these genera is distinct. Hyphocapnodia has synnematal conidiomata, whereas Capnodium is characterized by pycnidial conidiomata (Abdollahzadeh et al. 2020). The species of Capnodiaceae are morphologically diverse; however, the genus Hyphocapnodia can be clearly distinguished from other genera in Capnodiaceae.

Species