Fungalpedia – Note 2597, Didymocyrtis

 

Didymocyrtis Vain.

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

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

Classification: Phaeosphaeriaceae, Pleosporales, Pleosporomycetidae, Dothideomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi

Didymocyrtis was introduced by Vainio (1921c) to accommodate the species D. consimilis and placed in Dothideomycetes genera incertae sedis, however, it was not designated as a holotype in the original description (Vainio 1921c). Then, this species was selected as lectotype by Ertz et al (2015b), and another two genera Diederichia D. Hawksw and Diederichomyces Crous & Trakunyingcharoen were treated as synonyms of Didymocyrtis. In addition, Didymocyrtis was placed in Phaeosphaeriaceae according to the phylogenetic analysis based on LSU and ITS sequences conducted by Ertz et al. (2015b). The characteristics of the genus include perithecioid ascomata, paraphysoid hamathecial filaments, fissitunicate asci withapically thickened when mature and brown ascospores with 1–3-transversal septa. The asexual morph includes phoma-like conidiomata, hyaline conidiogenous cells and hyaline conidia with smooth wall and rounded ends (Hawksworth 2003, Trakunyingcharoen et al. 2014, Ertz et al. 2015b). This genus includes 28 records in Index Fungorum (2025), and most of them are lichenicolous, only four are non-lichencilous, Didymocyrtis banksiae, D. brachylaenae, and D. pini collecting from plant, while D. septata from soil.

Type species : Didymocyrtis consimilis Vain.

Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Didymocyrtis

Figure 1 – Didymocyrtis consimilis redrawn from Ertz et al. (2015b). a On Caloplaca tirolensis. b On C. cerina. c Section through conidioma (left) and ascoma (right). d Section through conidioma. e Asci with ascospores. f Ascospores. g Conidia. Scale bars: a, b = 200 μm, c = 50 μm, d = 10 μm, e–g = 5 μm.

 

References

Ertz D, Diederich P, Lawrey JD, Berger F et al. 2015b – Phylogenetic insights resolve Dacampiaceae (Pleosporales) as polyphyletic: Didymocyrtis (Pleosporales, Phaeosphaeriaceae) with Phoma-like anamorphs resurrected and segregated from Polycoccum (Trypetheliales, Polycoccaceae fam. nov.). Fungal Diversity 74 (1), 53–89.

Hawksworth DL. 2003 – The lichenicolous fungi of Great Britain and Ireland: an overview and annotated checklist. Lichenologist 35 (3), 191–232.

Trakunyingcharoen T, Lombard L, Groenewald JZ, Cheewangkoon R et al. 2014 – Mycoparasitic species of Sphaerellopsis, and allied lichenicolous and other genera. IMA Fungus 5 (2), 391–414.

Vainio EA. 1921c – Lichenographia Fennia I. – Pyrenolichenes iisque proximi Pyrenomycetes et Lichenes imperfecti. Acta Societatis pro Fauna et Flora Fennica 49 (2), 1–274.

 

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 11 June 2026

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