Paraphaeosphaeria O.E. Erikss., Ark. Bot., Ser. 2 6: 405 (1967).
Index Fungorum number: IF 3711; MycoBank number: MB 3711; Facesoffungi number: FoF 00057; 29 morphological species (Species Fungorum 2020), 6 species with molecular data.
Saprobic in terrestrial habitats. Sexual state: Ascomata small to medium-sized, immersed to semi-immersed, depressed, globose, ostiolate. Ostiole with a short beak, without periphyses. Peridium usually with 3-5 layers, composed cells of textura prismatica. Hamathecium composed of filamentous, hyaline, septate, broad, dense pseudoparaphyses. Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindrical with a short pedicel. Ascospores uniseritate or partially overlapping, multi septate, broadly elliptical, yellowish-brown, with small guttules, smooth, with a thin uniform sheath. Asexual state: Coniothyrium-like, Conidiomata eustromatic or pycnidial. Conidiogenous cells discrete or integrated, phialidic, or annellidic with one or two percurrent proliferations. Conidia aseptate or 1-septate, smooth to verrucose (Verkley et al. 2014).
Type species – Paraphaeosphaeria michotii (Westend.) O.E. Erikss., Arch. Botan. 6: 405 (1967).
≡ Sphaeria michotii Westend., Bull. Acad. R. Sci. Belg., Cl. Sci., sér. 2 7(5): 87 (1859).
Notes – Paraphaeosphaeria was introduced Eriksson (1967) to accommodate four species with oblong-cylindric ascospores (P. castagnei, P. michotii, P. obtusispora, and P. rusci). Paraphaeosphaeria species are characterized in having immersed to semi-immersed ascomata, bitunicate asci with a short pedicel and multi-septate, broadly elliptical, yellowish brown ascospores (Wong et al. 2000, Ariyawansa et al. 2014d). Paraphaeosphaeria produces coniothyrium-like asexual morphs characterized by eustromatic or pycnidial conidiomata, phialidic, or annelidic conidiogenous cells and aseptate or 1-septate conidia (Verkley et al. 2014). Recent studies confirmed the placement of Paraphaeosphaeria in Didymosphaeriaceae (Ariyawansa et al. 2014d, Verkley et al. 2014, Wanasinghe et al. 2018c). Paraphaeosphaeria comprises 29 epithets in Species Fungorum (2020).