Schizothyrium Desm., Annls Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 3 11: 360 (1849).
MycoBank number: MB 4911; Index Fungorum number: IF 4911; Facesoffungi number: FoF 01933; 42 morphological species (40 species as Schizothyrium, 2 species as Zygophiala; Species Fungorum 2020), >10 species with molecular data.
Type species – Schizothyrium acerinum Desm.
Notes – Eriksson (1981) re-circumscribed the genus based on Schizothyrium pomi and treated S.pomi as a synonym of S. acerinum. Eriksson (1981) described the genus as forming inconspicuous vegetative mycelium, with ascomata opening by several cracks. Hyde et al. (2013) examined a representative specimen collected by Desmazières (PC0084488 and BR5020103861716) and found that Schizothyrium did not form superficial or subcuticular vegetative mycelium. Phookamsak et al. (2016) re-examined the same specimen described in Hyde et al. (2013) [FRANCE, Paris, on dry twigs of Acer negundo L, Desmazières, BR5020103861716] and designated this specimen as the lectotype. Detailed description, illustration and generic discussion were also provided in Phookamsak et al. (2016). Boonmee et al. (2017) re-examined the type specimen of S. pomi (MNHN-PC- PC0723481, holotype of Labrella pomi) and mentioned that S.acerinum is not conspecific with S. pomi based on the difference of hamathecium type. However, they did not observe the asci and ascospores of S. pomi as the ascomata were immature.
Schizothyrium species can be epiphytes or pathogens occurring on leaves, stems, or other parts of various vascular plants in both temperate and tropical regions (Eriksson 1981, Phookamsak et al. 2016, Boonmee et al. 2017, Farr & Rossman 2020). The asexual morph of Schizothyrium has been reported as the hyphomycetous genus Zygophiala. The link between Schizothyrium and Zygophiala was proven by Batzer et al. (2008), Ma et al. (2010) and Gao et al. (2014). Rossman et al. (2015) recommended the use of the older name Schizothyrium over Zygophiala.
Species
Schizothyrium acerinum