Splanchnonema pupula (Fr.) Kuntze, Revis. gen. pl. (Leipzig) 3(2): 531 (1898)
Stigmatomassaria pupula (Fr.) Munk, Dansk bot. Ark. 15(no. 2): 127 (1953)
Facesoffungi number: FoF00475; Fig. 2

Saprobic on dead branches of Acer pseudoplatanus. Sexual morph Ascomata 437 – 521 μm high × 672 – 882 μm diam. (x̄ = 482 × 717 μm, n=10), solitary, immersed, dark brown to black, slightly depressed, uniloculate, globose to subglobose, ostiole central, papilla projecting through the bark. Peridium 35 – 47 μm wide, composed of 4 – 5 layers of brown to black – walled cells of textura angularis. Hamathecium comprising 1.5 – 2.5 μm wide, hyaline, septate, branched pseudoparaphyses, embedded in a gelatinous matrix. Asci 118 – 152 × 31 – 36 μm (x̄ = 134 × 32 μm, n = 20), 8 – spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindrical or fusoid, pedicellate, rounded at apex, with a distinct ocular chamber. Ascospores 37 – 51 × 11 – 18 μm (x̄ = 44 × 14 μm, n = 20), partially overlapping to biseriate, hyaline to light brown, always brown at maturity, 1 – septate in early states, constricted at the septum, muriform, becoming 3 – euseptate, somewhat asymmetrical, ellipsoidal with broadly rounded ends, thick – walled, smoothwalled, surrounded by mucilaginous sheath. Asexual morph Undetermined.

Material examined – ITALY, Province of Monte Secchieta, Pratomagno, Arezzo, on dead branches of Acer pseudoplatanus, (Sapindaceae), 5 June 2012, E. Camporesi (MFLU 14–0807, holotype). The DNA was extracted from the fungal fruiting body. GenBank ITS: KP659196; LSU:KP659197.

Notes – This collection is identified as Splanchnonema pupula; however, there is no sequence data in GenBank for the type of this genus, S. pustulatum. Splanchnonema platani is a synonym of Macrodiplodiopsis desmazieresii and belongs near Bambusicolaceae and is not Lophiostomataceae (sensu Wijayawardene et al. 2014). Other species of Splanchnonema are placed in Massarinaceae and Pleosporaceae (Fig. 1), and thus the genus is polyphyletic. As there is no type sequence data it is not clear which family Splanchnonema sensu stricto belongs in. Stigmatomassaria pupula is the type species of Stigmatomassaria and this may be a good generic name for this species in Pleomassariaceae, however until the type species of Splanchnonema is made available we name it as Splanchnonema pupula.

Fig. 1 Phylogram generated from Maximum likelihood (RAxML) analysis based on LSU sequence data of Pleosporales. Maximum likelihood bootstrap support values greater than 50 % are indicated above or below the nodes, and branches with Bayesian posterior probabilities greater than 0.95 are given in bold. The ex-types (reference strains) are in bold; the new isolates are in blue. The tree is rooted with Aigialus grandis BCC 18419.

Fig. 2 Splanchnonema pupula (MFLU 14–0807). a Ascomata on host substrate b Transverse section of ascomata c Immature asci d Immature ascus e Immature ascospores showing primary septum f, g Mature ascus h, i Hyaline ascospores j Mature brown ascospore. Scale bars: b = 400 μm, c = 200 μm, d – g = 80 μm, h, j = 30 μm.