Fungalpedia – Note 2747, Bombardiaceae
Bombardiaceae. S.K. Huang, Maharachch. & K.D. Hyde.
Citation when using this data: Huang SK et al. 2021 – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank
Classification: Sordariales, Sordariomycetidae, Sordariomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Etymology: Named after Bombardia, the oldest genus in this family.
Coprophilous or saprobic on wood or isolated from soil. Sexual morph: Ascomata perithecial or cleistothecial, solitary to scattered or gregarious, immersed to semi-immersed to superficial, globose to subglobose, glabrous or hairy, yellow to dark brown to black, sometimes semitransparent, membranaceous or coriaceous. Paraphyses numerous, filiform to cylindrical, septate, evanescent. Asci 4–8-spored, unitunicate, cylindrical to clavate, pedicellate, usually with J- apical ring, sometimes with apical globule. Ascospores uni-seriate or bi-seriate, ellipsoidal or cylindrical or maraca-shaped, aseptate to multi-septate, hyaline to brown to dark brown, verrucose or smooth-walled, sometimes with a gelatinous sheath or irregular appendage(s). Asexual morph: Hyphomycetous. Conidiophores arising from aerial hyphae, erect, inflated at the base. Phialides monophialidic, smooth-walled, hyaline, cylindrical, unbranched or branched. Conidia small, hyaline to pale yellow, ellipsoidal to oval, aseptate, smooth-walled, forming globose masses on the apex of the phialides (adapted from Malloch and Cain 1971; Lundqvist 1964, 1972; Udagawa and Furuya 1974; Khan and Krug 1991; Krug and Scott 1994; Bell 2005; Davison et al. 2008).
Notes: Marin-Felix et al. (2020) mentioned that Apodospora, Bombardia, Bombardioidea`, Fimetariella and several species of Cercophora, Podospora and Zopfiella formed a low support clade. In this study, these taxa clustered (75%ML) and is sister to Sordariaceae (74%ML).
The species of this cluster have diverse morphological characteristics. Most of them are coprophilous fungi, except for Zopfiella attenuata and Ramophialophora vesiculosa collected from soil and, Bombardia bombarda found on hardwood (Lundqvist 1972; Udagawa and Furuya 1974). They have hairy or glabrous, membranaceous (sometimes with carbonaceous neck), or coriaceous ascomata (Malloch and Cain 1971; Lundqvist 1972; Udagawa and Furuya 1974; Khan and Krug 1991; Krug and Scott 1994; Bell 2005; Davison et al. 2008). The hyphomycetous R. vesiculosa has globose to ellipsoidal conidia with a truncate base (Calduch et al. 2004). Zopfiella attenuata and Z. pleuropora have cleistothecial ascomata and ascospores comprise fusiform to ellipsoidal, brown upper cell(s) and a conical hyaline lower cell, without appendages or a sheath (Malloch and Cain 1971; Udagawa and Furuya 1974); the other members have perithecial ascomata and ascospores have appendages or surround the gelatinous sheath (Lundqvist 1964, 1972; Khan and Krug 1991; Krug and Scott 1994; Krug 1995; Bell 2005; Davison et al. 2008). Apodospora peruviana, A. simulans, A. gotlandica, Bombardioidea anartia and Fimeteriella rabenhorstii have broadly fusiform to ellipsoidal ascospores surrounded by a gelatinous sheath (Lundqvist 1964, 1972; ; Krug and Scott 1994; Krug 1995; Davison et al. 2008). All Apodospora species have the gelatinous sheath with an apical invagination (Lundqvist 1972; Krug and Scott 1994; Krug 1995; Davison et al. 2008). Fimeteriella rabenhorstii is the only species in the cluster with 4-spored asci (Lundqvist 1964; Krug 1995). Bombardioidea anartia and Podospora appendiculata have a special coriaceous peridium similar to Bombardia bombarda (Lundqvist 1972; Krug and Scott 1994). Whereas, Bombardia bombardia, Cercophora scortea, Podospora fabiformis, P. fibrinocaudata and P. appendiculata have ascospores comprise an ellipsoidal, brown upper cell and a cylindrical, hyaline pedicel, with terminal appendage(s) at each or one end (Lundqvist 1972; Khan and Krug 1991; Bell 2005). Podospora fabiformis has ascospores with apical and basal appendages, sometimes two lateral appendages arising from the top of the pedicel (Bell 2005). Podospora fibrinocaudata has ascospores with a gelatinous sheath surrounding the pedicel’s basal (Khan and Krug 1991). Bombardia bombarda, Cercophora scortea and Podospora appendiculata have cylindrical to clavate asci with a subapical or apical globule and ascospores with appendages at each end (Lundqvist 1972).
Type genus: Bombardia (Fr.) P. Karst. 1873.
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Bombardiaceae.
References
Davison EM, Davison PJ, Brims MH 2008 – Moist chamber and field collections of myxomycetes from the northern Simpson Desert, Australia. Australas Mycol 27(3):129–135.
Krug JC 1995 – The genus Fimetariella. Can J Bot 73(12):1905–1916.
Krug JC, Scott JA 1994 – The genus Bombardioidea. Can J Bot 72(9):1302–1310.
Lundqvist N 1972 – Nordic Sordariaceae s. lat. Symbolae Botanicae Upsalienses 20:1–374.
Udagawa SI, Furuya K 1974 – Notes on some Japanese Ascomycetes XIII. Trans Mycol Soc Jpn 15(3):206–214.
Entry by
Shi-Ke Huang, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China, The Engineering Research Center of Southwest Bio-Pharmaceutical Resources, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou Province, China, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand, School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand, The Mushroom Research Centre, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Published online 18 June 2026