Pseudomelanconidaceae C.M. Tian & X.L. Fan, Persoonia 40: 128 (2018)

MycoBank number: MB 823991; Index Fungorum number: IF 823991; Facesoffungi number: FoF04889; 2 species.

Pathogenic forming cankers on trees. Sexual morph: Undetermined. Asexual morph: Coelomycetous, melanconium-like. Conidiophores acervular, hyaline to pale brown, aseptate, unbranched, cylindrical, smooth-walled. Conidiogenous cells annellidic, occasionally with distinct annellations and collarettes. Conidia hyaline to greyish sepia to olivaceous as it matures, ellipsoid to oblong, multiguttulate, aseptate, with distinct hyaline sheath, becoming inconspicuous when mature. Conidial wall smooth (adapted from Fan et al. 2018).

Type genus – Pseudomelanconis C.M. Tian & X.L. Fan

Notes – Pseudomelanconidaceae shares similar characteristics to other families in Diaporthales having acervular conidiomata covered by a pustulate conidial mass on the bark surface, similar to Juglanconidaceae, Melanconiellaceae and Melanconidaceae (Fan et al. 2016, Voglmayr et al. 2017). However DNA sequence data confirmed them to represent a distinct phylogenetic lineage. Molecular investigations have revealed a remarkably high diversity of corticolous melanconium-like fungi in Diaporthales (Fan et al. 2016, Voglmayr et al. 2012, 2017), thus Fan et al. (2018) intrduced Pseudomelanconidaceae. In phylogenetic analysis of ITS, LSU, rpb2 and tef1 sequence data in Fan et al. (2018), Pseudomelanconis forms a distinct clade sister to Melanconiellaceae (Senanayake et al. 2018). Jiang et al. (2018) introduced a new genus Neopseudomelanconis in Pseudomelanconidaceae from dead branches of Castanea mollissima in China.

Genera