Lophiomurispora Wanas. and Mortimer, gen. nov.

MycoBank number: MB 837993; Index Fungorum number: IF 837993; Facesoffungi number: FoF 11581;

Etymology: The generic epithet stems from the combined two words “lophio” and “murispora”, referring to muriform ascospores in Lophiostomataceae.

It is saprobic on woody substrates in terrestrial habitats. Sexual morph: The ascomata is a solitary or gregarious, semi-immersed, erumpent through the host surface, coriaceous to carbonaceous, dark brown to black, globose to subglobose or conical ostiolate. The ostiole is a slit-like, central papillate, with or without a crest, opening by an apical, lysigenous pore or dehiscence, comprising hyaline periphyses or hyaline to lightly pigmented, pseudoparenchymatous cells. The peridium is broad at the apex and thinner at the base,   comprising two strata with several layers of brown or lightly pigmented to hyaline cells of textura angularis to textura prismatica, fusing and indistinguishable from the host tissues. The hamathecium comprises many branched, septate, cellular pseudoparaphyses, located between and above the asci, embedded in a gelatinous matrix. The asci are eight-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindric-clavate, pedicellate, and apically rounded, with an ocular chamber. The ascospores are uni- to bi-seriate, partially overlapping, and are hyaline when immature, becoming brown to dark brown when mature. They are ellipsoidal to fusiform, muriform, two-to-eight-transversely septate, with one-to-two-longitudinal septa, constricted at the central septum, with or without a mucilaginous sheath. Asexual morph: Coelomycetous. The conidiomata is pycnidial, phoma-like, solitary, gregarious, dark brown to black, immersed or slightly erumpent, coriaceous to carbonaceous, papillate or apapillate. The conidiomata wall is multi-layered, with three to four outer layers of brown-walled pseudoparenchymatous cells, with the inner most layer being thin and hyaline. The conidiophores are long, septate, and sparsely branched, which are formed from the inner most layer of the pycnidium wall. The conidiogenous cells are phialidic, cylindrical, hyaline, flexuous and smooth, with a short collarette. The conidia are hyaline, aseptate, straight to curved, ellipsoidal with rounded ends, thin-walled, smooth, and numerous.

Type species: Lophiomurispora hongheensis