Vizellaceae H.J. Swart, Trans. Br. mycol. Soc. 57: 456 (1971).
MycoBank number: MB 81519; Index Fungorum number: IF 81519; Facesoffungi number: FoF 07920, 31 species.
Parasitic or saprophytic on leaves, tropical in distribution, developing in or beneath the cuticle, often forming an intracuticular mycelium, without superficial hyphae. Sexual morph: Ascostromata dimidiate, scutate or crustose, roundish or elongated in outline, with a thin wall composed of small, dark cells, opening by a fissure or dehiscence, central part of loculus may be sterile. Hamathecium comprising filamentous, pseudoparaphyses, often filling the central part of the loculus or may be sparse or absent. Asci 6–8-spored, bitunicate, probably evanescent, broadly clavate or nearly cylindrical. Ascospores 2–3-seriate, overlapping, hyaline to brown, 1–2-celled or with small appendage cell at the base, with a light transverse band. Asexual morph: linked to Chrysogloeum and Manginula. Pycnidia disc-shaped with upper wall of irregularly arranged cells, subglobose, dark brown to black, scutate or crustose. Conidiogenous cells hyaline, cylindrical, holoblastic. Conidia ovoid to ellipsoidal or rarely subglobose, brown to dark brown, with transverse hyaline band, formed on phialidic, hyaline cells lining the inner cavity of the upper wall (Hughes 1953a, b; Petrak 1953).
Type: Vizella Sacc.
Notes: Vizellaceae was introduced to include Blasdalea and Vizella (Swart 1971). Entopeltis was synonymized under Vizella (Swart 1971). Hughes (1953a) described the mycelium of the type species and confirmed mycelium composed of hyaline to light brown hyphae with thick, dark brown cross walls. Swart (1971) suggested that the mycelium might well be of diagnostic value, but several authors could not observe this because mycelium is entirely hyaline and thus difficult to see. In most species of Vizellaceae, the mycelium branches frequently at fairly wide angles, and so forms a network without radial orientation (Hyde et al. 2013). von Arx and Müller (1975) noted that Vizella and Entopeltis can be distinguished by the arrangement of the asci and ascospores characters. van Wyk et al. (1976) studied the type species and other Entopeltis and Vizella species and suggested that they could not be distinguished. Therefore, Entopeltis should be synonymised under Vizella.
The asexual morph of most species in this family are undetermined, except for three Vizella species and Blasdalea disciformis. Hughes (1953a) described a conidial form associated with Vizella hendrickxii. Swart (1971) introduced two new species to this genus from Australia with conidial morphs. The asexual morph of Blasdalea is Chrysogloeum (Petrak 1953). Wijayawardene et al. (2012) listed the asexual morphs as Chrysogloeum and Manginula. Chrysogloeum was established to accommodate the coelomycetous asexual morphs of Blasdalea (as Singeriella). Sivanesan (1984) considered that Vizella has Manginula or “Manginula”-like asexual morphs.