Curvichaeta

Fungalpedia – Note 2832, Curvichaeta

Citation when using this data: Wenping Wu et al. 2022 – Fungalpedia.

Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank

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

Etymology: Curvus– (L) and chaeta (Greek); in reference to the slightly curved ascospore and conidia, and hair-like conidiophores.

Diagnosis: Setae present, sterile and with swollen apex. Conidiophores cylindrical, brown, septate, terminated with a monophialidic conidiogenous cell bearing collarette. Conidia hyaline, aseptate, ellipsoidal to oblong, slightly curved.

Colonies on the natural substratum irregularly effuse, dark brown, hairy, consisting of conidiophores and the perithecia. Teleomorph: Perithecia superficial, solitary to gregarious, subglobose to globose, papillate, black, setose, ostiolate. Setae sparsely covering the perithecia, arising on the perithecial wall and around the perithecia from the substrate, cylindrical, dark brown, septate, unbranched. Ostiolar canal periphysate. Perithecial wall carbonaceous, fragile, consisting of two regions; outer region formed of dark brown, thin-walled, brick-like cells; inner region formed of hyaline, thinner-walled, elongated, compressed cells. Paraphyses persistent, branching, hyaline, septate, not tapering, broadly rounded at the top, longer than the asci. Asci unitunicate, cylindrical-clavate, short-stipitate, truncate at the apex, with a distinct refractive apical annulus, 8-spored. Ascospores fusiform, often curved, inequilateral, 3-septate, not constricted at the septa, hyaline, smooth, 2-seriate in the ascus. Anamorph: Setae present, cylindrical, septate, brown, sterile and with a swollen apex. Conidiophores macronematous, mononematous, solitary, erect, straight or slightly flexuous, cylindrical, unbranched, septate, brown, darker brown at the septa, paler towards the top. Conidiogenous cells terminal, integrated, phialidic, cylindrical, conidia formed on a single conidiogenous locus within the aperture; collarette subhyaline to hyaline, funnel-shaped. Conidia ellipsoidal to oblong, broadly rounded apically, truncate at the base, 0–1-septate, hyaline, smooth (adapted from Réblová 2004).

Ecology/Substrate/Host: Saprobes on decorticated wood.

Geographical distribution: New Zealand (Réblová, 2004).

Notes: The new genus Curvichaeta is created to accommodate for Chaetosphaeria curvispora with both teleomorph and anamorphs known (Réblová, 2004). Phylogenetically it is distinct from other genera of Chaetosphaeriaceae. Morphologically its anamorph resembles Achrochaeta, Dictyochaeta, Flectospora and Phialoturbella, but can easily be distinguished from all of them (Réblová et al. 2021a, b, c, d, e). It differs from Achrochaeta, Flectospora and Phialoturbella by presence of sterile setae; differs from Dictyochaeta by sterile setae with swollen apex and ellipsoidal to oblong conidia. The genus is also created as possible home for some Dictyochaeta-like fungi with asetulate conidia but phylogenetically unrelated.