Aniptodera Shearer & M.A. Mill. 1977
Index Fungorum number: IF 198
Phylum: Ascomycota
Class: Sordariomycetes
Subclass: Hypocreomycetidae
Order: Microascales
Family: Halosphaeriaceae
Genus: Aniptodera
Type: Aniptodera chesapeakensis Shearer & M. Mill.
Aniptodera is an aquatic genus of ascomycetes that are found in both freshwater and marine habitats involved in the degradation of woody material. They are important as they can degrade lignocellulose in these habitats (Hyde et al. 1999). Many species have sticky filamentous appendages that can be used in dispersal and attachment to substrates (Sakayaroj et al. 2011). The type species is A. chesapeakensis which was described from Chesapeakensis Bay in the USA. The genus comprises 19 species with ten marine and 11 freshwater species. Aniptodera chesapeakensis and A. limnetica are known from both habitats. None have been reported from terrestrial habitats. Sequence data is known for five species.
Aniptodera chesapeakensis was introduced as the type species characterised by thick-walled, 1-septate, hyaline ascospores lacking terminal appendages (Shearer and Miller 1977). Subsequently, Shearer and Crane (1980) reported an isolate from Virginia with appendaged ascospores as A. chesapeakensis. This led to confusion as most Aniptodera species do not possess thick-walled ascospores. Aniptodera triseptata differs from other species in possessing 3-septate ascospores (Hyde et al. 2002) and warrants further study. Aniptodera species occur in temperate and tropical regions, while some are cosmopolitan in their distribution. Most occur on woody substrates such as decaying twigs and woody debris, while marine species occur on mangrove wood. Phylogenetically, Aniptodera groups in the Halosphaeriaceae (Microascales) with good statistical support (Sakayaroj et al. 2014, Jones et al. 2017).