Fungalpedia – Note 2831, Brachydictyochaeta
Brachydictyochaeta. W.P. Wu & Y.Z. Diao.
Citation when using this data: Wenping Wu et al. 2022 – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1
Classification: Chaetosphaeriaceae, Chaetosphaeriales, Sordariomycetidae, Sordariomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Etymology: Refers to its similarity with Dictyochaeta but with branched setiform conidiophores. Diagnosis: Similar to Dictyochaeta, but differs in setae with sterile and swollen apex and lateral phialides.
Colony effuse, hairy, inconspicuous. Mycelium superficial and immersed, pale brown to brown, thick-walled, smooth, septate, from which setae are formed. Teleomorph: Unknown. Anamorph: Setae solitary, simple, erect, straight, brown, dark brown towards the base, fading to pale brown towards the apex, smooth, thick-walled, septate, apical cell rounded and slightly swollen; basal cell thick-walled, swollen; sterile or fertile with lateral phialides. Conidiophores reduced, consisting of short lateral branches from the setae or short phialides from the superficial hyphae, aseptate or septate. Conidiogenous cells integrated or discrete, monophialidic, produced through pores in the middle section of the setae, or directly from the superficial hyphae, pale brown, smooth, thin-walled, lageniform, subcylindrical, tapered to the apex, apex narrow with a very small flared collarette. Conidia aggregated into a moist, slimy mass at the apex of the conidiogenous cells, hyaline, aseptate, smooth, thin walled, falcate, lunate, typically curved, acerose, both ends attenuated and rounded, sometime slightly tapering towards one end; setulae absent.
Ecology/Substrate/Host: saprobe on decaying leaf and fruit, rotten wood. Geographical distribution: China and Cuba.
Notes: In the phylogenetic tree, Dictyochaeta antillana and one undescribed species formed a strongly supported clade, and the new genus Brachydictyochaeta is established for them. Morphologically Brachydictyochaeta is similar to Dictyochaeta s. str. in producing sterile or fertile setae and falcate, asymmetrical conidia without setulae; but differs in setae with sterile and swollen apex, and monophialidic conidiogenous cells formed from superficial hyphae or laterally on the setae. Two species are accepted under the genus.
Type species: Brachydictyochaeta bulliformis W.P. Wu & Y.Z. Diao.
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Brachydictyochaeta.
Figure 1 – Brachydictyochaeta bulliformis (a–l Wu17533 holotype, m–r Wu16818). Wu 17533: a, b, i Setae with swollen apex. c–f Conidia. g–k Conidiogenous cells. Wu16818: n Setae. p–r Conidiogenous cells. s Conidia. Scale bar: 5 μm
Entry by
Wenping Wu, R&D Center, Novozymes China, No. 14 Xin Xi Lu, Shangdi Zone, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, P.R. China
Published online 22 July 2026