Fungalpedia – Note 774, Chaetosphaeriaceae

 

Chaetosphaeriaceae. Réblová, M.E. Barr & Samuels.

Citation when using this data: Karimi O et al. 2025 (in prep.) – Fungalpedia, Ascomycota.

Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank.

Classification: Chaetosphaeriales, Sordariomycetidae, Sordariomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi

Locquin (1984) initially introduced Chaetosphaeriaceae as a new family. Later, the family was validated by Réblová et al. (1999), who accepted six sexual genera, including Ascocodinaea, Melanochaeta, Melanopsammella, Porosphaerella, Porosphaerellopsis, and Striatosphaeria, along with 13 asexual genera within Chaetosphaeriaceae. Since then, several studies have expanded the family Chaetosphaeriaceae (Locquin 1984, Réblová 1999, Maharachchikumbura et al. 2016, Lin et al. 2019, Zheng et al. 2020). Wu & Diao (2022) conducted a comprehensive study of anamorphic chaetosphaeriaceous fungi from China, analysing over 300 herbarium specimens and 1100 strains, which expanded the family to 89 accepted genera. More recently, Réblová & Nekvindová (2023) examined species within Chloridium sensu lato, introducing six new genera: Caliciastrum, Caligospora, Capillisphaeria, Geniculoseta, Papillospora, and Spicatispora. The sexual morph of Chaetosphaeriaceae features dark brown to black, immersed, globose ascomata with unitunicate, clavate to cylindrical asci, containing hyaline to brown, fusiform, or ellipsoid ascospores, often with guttules, sheaths, or appendages. The asexual morphs are coelomycetous or hyphomycetous. Coelomycetous forms have setose, unilocular conidiomata, while hyphomycetous forms have septate conidiophores and distinct funnel-shaped collarettes, producing diverse conidial types, ranging from hyaline to dark brown, often septate, cylindrical, or fusiform (Hyde et al. 2020). 

Type genus: Chaetosphaeria Tul. & C. Tul., Select. fung. carpol. (Paris) 2: 252 (1863).

 

References

Hyde KD, Dong Y, Phookamsak R, Jeewon R et al. 2020 – Fungal diversity notes 1151—1276: taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions on genera and species of fungal taxa. Fungal Diversity 100, 5–277.

Lin CG, McKenzie E, Liu J, Jones E et al. 2019 – Hyaline spored chaetosphaeriaceous hyphomycetes from Thailand and China, with a review of the family Chaetosphaeriaceae. Mycosphere 10, 655–700.

Locquin M. 1984 – Mycologie générale et structurale. Elsevier Masson.

Maharachchikumbura SSN, Hyde KD, Jones EBG, McKenzie EHC et al. 2016 – Families of Sordariomycetes. Fungal Diversity 79, 1–317.

Réblová M, Nekvindová J. 2023 – New genera and species with chloridium-like morphotype in the Chaetosphaeriales and Vermiculariopsiellales. Studies in Mycology 106, 199–258.

Réblová M. 1999 – Chaetosphaeriaceae, a new family for Chaetosphaeria and its relatives. Sydowia 51, 49–70.

Wu W, Diao Y. 2022 – Anamorphic chaetosphaeriaceous fungi from China. Fungal Diversity 116, 1–546.

Zheng H, Wan Y, Li J, Castañeda-Ruiz RF et al. 2020 – Phialolunulospora vermispora (Chaetosphaeriaceae, Sordariomycetes), a novel asexual genus and species from freshwater in southern China. MycoKeys 76, 17–30.

 

Entry by

Omid Karimi, State Key Laboratory of Discovery and Utilization of Functional Components in Traditional Chinese Medicine & School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guizhou Medical University, Guian New District, Guizhou 550004, 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

 

Published online 28 July 2025

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