Cyttariaceae

Cyttariaceae. Lév.

Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank

Classification: Cyttariales, Leotiomycetidae, Leotiomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi

This family includes obligate pathogens on Nothofagus spp. (Peterson & Pfister 2010). Ascomata are pitted apothecia immersed in a sterile fleshy-gelatinous stroma. Apothecia are characterised by simple filiform paraphyses, 8-spored, inoperculate and amyloid asci and uninucleate, subglobose to ovoid, smooth to rugulose ascospores, which are hyaline to yellowish at first, but later becoming pigmented (Mengoni 1986, Peterson et al. 2010). Asexual morphs are pycnidial, immersed, conidiogenous cells are monoblastic and conidia are small, hyaline and aseptate.

Notes – The family Cyttariaceae is host specific on Nothofagus spp. (and the segregate genera) and geographically restricted to southern South America (Argentina and Chile) and southeastern Australasia and including Tasmania, and New Zealand (Peterson & Pfister 2010). This family is distinct from other Leotiomycetes taxa by producing compound apothecia, which have numerous apothecial cavities in a pear-shaped stroma (Peterson & Pfister 2010).

Type genus: Cyttaria Berk., Trans. Linn. Soc. London 19: 40 (1842).