Fungalpedia – Note 2625, Cercidospora

 

Cercidospora Körb.

Citation when using this data: Meng QF et al. – Fungalpedia.

Index Fungorum, Faceoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1.

Classification: Dothideomycetes genera incertae sedis, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi

Cercidospora was established by Körber (1865b) to accommodate the type species C. ulothii Körb, characterized by immersed, globular apothecia with endocarp and black exciple, oligosporous asci and oblong, boat-shapeed, hyaline spores with two cells. However, Santesson (1960) and Grube et al. (1990) consider Phacopsis macrospora a possible synonym of C. ulothii, as both taxa were described based on material from the same collection. Hafellner (1987b) redefined the concept of Cercidospora, mainly based on variations in ascospore shape, size and the host’s difference and provided illustrations for the species C. ulothii. Grube et al. (1990) compared Cercidospora with two other hyalodidymo-spored genera, Didymellopsis and Zwackhiomyces, and clarified the generic concept. Subsequently, the generic concept was expanded to include species with pluriseptate ascospores referred to Metasphaeria (Hafellner 1987a) and species with simple ascospores (Navarro-Rosinés et al. 2004). 

Of the 177 records in Index Fungorum (2025), many species were transferred to other families, such as Apiosporaceae, Clypeosphaeriaceae, Didymellaceae, Dothideaceae etc. In the lichenicolous checklist of Cercidospora by Diederich (2018a), 40 species were listed. Upon our review, some species names were found to be invalid or were combined with other species or no longer in use. The name C. apiosporoides (Vouaux) Nav.-Ros., Hafellner & Calatayud was considered invalid and treated as a synonym of C. epipolytropa (Mudd) Arnold. Names such as C. epidesertorum Nav.-Ros. & Calat. ad int., C. etayoana Nav.-Ros. & Calat. Ad int., C. javalambrensis Calat. & Nav.-Ros. ad int., C. mutabilicola Nav.-Ros., Calat. & Hafellner. ined. and C. stenotropae Nav.-Ros. & Hafellner ad int. were also deemed invalid, and thus removed from the checklist. C. epicallopisma Arnold was transferred to Nectria epicallopisma (Arnold) Sacc. & D. Sacc (Saccardo et al. 1905). C. exiguella (Nyl.) Arnold, originally transferred from Verrucaria exiguella Nyl., was later transferred to Prolisea exiguella (Nyl.) Clem. (Clements 1909). Two previously overlooked species, C. cephalodiorum Triebel & Grube (on Pilophorus dovrensis (Nyl.) Timdal, Hertel & Rambold) and C. collematum var. collematum J. Steiner (on Collema sp.), were added to our checklist to ensure comprehensive coverage. The species C. pertusariicola Alstrup & Olech growing on Lepra corallophora (Vain.) Hafellner was considered invalid and therefore not include in our list. 

After Diederich et al. (2018a), two new species were introduced: Cercidospora navarroi Y. Joshi growing on Rinodina intermedia Bagl. and C. santessonii Motiejunaite, Zhurbenko, Suija & Kantvilas growing on Siphula fastigiata (Nyl.) Nyl. (Motiejunaite et al. 2019, Joshi et al. 2022). As of now, there are 36 valid lichenicolous species with uncertain placement in Dothideomycetes. Further studies based on molecular sequence are needed.

Type species: Cercidospora macrospora (Uloth) Hafellner & Nav.-Ros.

≡ Phacopsis macrospora Uloth, Flora 44: 653 (1861)

=Cercidospora ulothii Körb., Parerga Lichenol.: 466 (1865)

Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Cercidospora.

Figure 1 – Cercidospora macrospora redrawn from Hafellner (1987a). a Asci. b Paraphyses. c Ascospores. Scale bar = 10 μm.

 

References

Clements FE 1909 – The Genera of Fungi. Wilson, New York, 1–227.

Diederich P, Lawrey JD, Ertz D. 2018a – The 2018 classification and checklist of lichenicolous fungi, with 2000 non-lichenized, obligately lichenicolous taxa. The Bryologist 121 (3), 340–425.

Grube M, Hafellner J. 1990 – Studien an flechtenbewohnenden Pilzen der Sammelgattung Didymella (Ascomycetes, Dothideales). Nova Hedwigia 51 (3–4), 283–360.

Hafellner J. 1987a – Studien über lichenicole Pilze und Flechten VI. Ein verändertes Gattungskonzept für Cercidospora. Herzogia 7, 353–365.

Hafellner J. 1987b – Studien über lichenicole Pilze und Flechten V. Über die Gattung Phacopsis Tul. emend. Körber (Lecanorales). Herzogia 7, 343–352.

Joshi Y, Bansal P, Yadav AL. 2022 – Cercidospora navarroi, a new species of lichenicolous fungus from the Central Himalayan region of India. Phytotaxa 549 (2), 241–246.

Körber GW. 1865b – Parerga lichenologica. Ergänzungen zum Systema lichenum Germaniae 5, 385–501.

Motiejunaite J, Zhurbenko M, Suija A, Kantvilas G. 2019 – Lichenicolous ascomycetes on Siphula-like lichens, with a key to the species. The Lichenologist 51 (1), 45–73.

Navarro-Rosinés P, Calatayud V, Hafellner J 2004 – Cercidospora. in Nash, THI, Ryan, BD, Diederich, P, Gries, C et al.,Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region, Volume 2. Lichens Unlimited. Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 635–639.

Saccardo PA, Saccardo D. 1905 – Supplementum universale. Pars VI. Hymenomycetae-Laboulbeniomycetae. Sylloge Fungorum 17, 1–991.

Santesson R. 1960 – Lichenicolous fungi from northern Spain. Svensk Bot. Tidskr. 54, 499–522.

 

Entry by

Meng QF, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100, Thailand and School of Public Health, Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou 563000, China.

 

Published online 23 June 2026

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