Fungalpedia – Note 2766, Diffractella
Diffractella. Guarro, P.F. Cannon & Aa.
Citation when using this data: Huang SK et al. 2021 – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1
Classification: Incertae sedis, Sordariales, Sordariomycetidae, Sordariomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Saprobic on wood. Sexual morph: Ascomata cleistothecial, solitary, superficial, carbonaceous, globose, with alveolate-reticulate ornamentation, brown to black, surrounded by long setae. Peridium composed of brown to reddish brown, radial, septate, cylindrical cells. Asci 8-spored, unitunicate, globose to oval. Ascospores multi-seriate, fusiform to falciform, upper cell(s) brown to dark brown, aseptate or with 1-septate near the base, guttulate; lower cell cap-like, hyaline. Asexual morph: Undetermined (adapted from Fuckel 1872; Guarro et al. 1991).
Notes: Guarro et al. (1991) transferred Cephalotheca curvata (Fuckel 1872) to Diffractella as the generic type, which is characterized by cleistothecial ascomata, globose asci and fusiform ascospores with cap-like basal cell. The genus was considered as a member of Lasiosphaeriaceae because it has falciform ascospores with a special cap-like cell, which is similar to Bellojisia and Zopfiella (Guarro et al. 1991; Réblová 2008).
Type species: Diffractella curvata (Fuckel) Guarro, P.F. Cannon & Aa, Syst. Ascom., Reprint of Volumes 1-4 (1982-1985) 10(2): 108 (1991).
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Diffractella.
Figure 1 – Diffractella curvata: (G-352276/1, holotype). a Herbarium material label. b Herbarium material. c Ascoma on host. d Ascoma surrounded by long setae. e Crushed ascoma. f Septate seta. g Asci. h–k Ascospores stained in KOH. Scale bars: d = 500 µm, e = 100 µm, f = 50 µm, g–k = 20 µm.
References
Entry by
Shi-Ke Huang, State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China, The Engineering Research Center of Southwest Bio-Pharmaceutical Resources, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou Province, 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, The Mushroom Research Centre, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Published online 18 June 2026