Xyladelphia Réblová, A.N. Mill. & Hern.-Restr., gen. nov.
MycoBank number: MB 842004; Index Fungorum number: IF 842004; Facesoffungi number: FoF;
Type species: Xyladelphia longiseta (F.A. Fernández & Huhndorf) Réblová, A.N. Mill. & Hern.-Restr.
Etymology: Xýlon (Greek) wood, referring to the lignicolous habitat; adélphia (Greek), siblings, referring to two morphs occurring together.
Colonies on natural substrate effuse, hairy, brown, composed of setae, conidiophores and ascomata, mycelium immersed. Anamorph: Setae grow singly, erect, straight or flexuous, septate, brown, unbranched, always sterile, tapering to an acute apex, sometimes two most apical cells dark brown. Conidiophores macronematous, mononematous, arise singly or in groups, scattered among the setae, unbranched, erect, straight or flexuous, septate, brown, smooth. Conidiogenous cells integrated, terminal, mono- and polyphialidic, extending percurrently and sympodially; collarettes flared. Conidia of two morphologically distinct types; macroconidia falcate to fusiform, aseptate, hyaline, with straight or gently curved setula at each end; microconidia (formed only in vitro) ellipsoidal, aseptate, hyaline to pale brown, without setulae; macroconidia and microconidia accumulate in slimy whitish fascicles. Teleomorph: Ascomata perithecial, non-stromatic, superficial, subglobose to broadly ovoid, papillate, dark brown, setose; setae sterile, acute at the apex, identical to those of the anamorph. Ostiole periphysate. Ascomatal wall, carbonaceous, two-layered. Paraphyses septate, tapering. Asci unitunicate, cylindrical-clavate, shortly- stipitate, apically rounded, ascal apex with a non-amyloid apical annulus. Ascospores broadly fusiform to ellipsoidal, hyaline, aseptate or transversely septate, without gelatinous sheath or appendages (Adapted after Fernández and Huhndorf [57]).
Habitat and geographical distribution: Saprobes on decaying plant matter, found in the Central, North and South America.
Notes: – In the present phylogeny, Xyladelphia was shown distantly related to Codinaea and other morphologically similar genera. It formed a separate lineage near the base of the tree among taxa with non-setulate conidia.
Although the arrangement of setae and conidiophores is similar to members of Codinaeella, the setae are darker in the uppermost part and have sterile, acute apex. Xyladelphia clustered as a sister to Dictyochaeta brevis [30], which lack setae and somewhat resembles Tainosphaeria. Due to inconsistencies in morphology, the latter species is not accepted in Xyladelphia and for now we prefer to keep it separate until more morphological data, in vitro observations, teleomorph and other representatives are available for study.
Species