Fungalpedia – Note 2460, Herpotrichia
Herpotrichia Fuckel
Citation when using this data: Dong W et al. 2020 – Fungalpedia, Ascomycota.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank.
Classification: Melanommataceae, Pleosporales, Pleosporomycetidae, Dothideomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Saprobic, parasitic or hyperparasitic in terrestrial or freshwater habitats. Sexual morph: Ascomata scattered to gregarious, immersed, erumpent to nearly superficial, subglobose to pyriform, dark brown to black, spreading on substrate as a subiculum, coriaceous, roughened, with ostiolate papilla. Peridium two-layered, outer layer composed of pigmented, thick-walled cells of textura angularis, inner layer composed of light pigmented, thin-walled cells of textura prismatica. Pseudoparaphyses dense, cellular, hypha-like, hyaline, septate, branched and anastomosing above asci, embedded in a gelatinous matrix. Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindrical to cylindro-clavate, with a furcate pedicel, apically rounded with an ocular chamber. Ascospores uni- to bi-seriate, fusoid, ellipsoidal or oblong, straight, hyaline to pale brown, 1-septate, thin-walled, smooth or verruculose (Tian et al. 2015). Asexual morph: Coelomycetous. pyrenochaeta- or pyrenochaeta-like. Pycnidia solitary or gregarious, superficial, globose to pyriform or hemispherical, with or without hairs, with ostiolate papilla, with a long or short neck. Peridium composed of cells of textura angularis. Conidiophores absent. Conidiogenous cells phialidic, simple, cylindrical, branched. Conidia globose to ovoid or cylindrical, straight or curved, hyaline, aseptate (Bose 1961; Sivanesan 1984; Tian et al. 2015).
Notes: The type species of Herpotrichia was not indicated when it was introduced (Fuckel 1868). Herpotrichia herpotrichoides was accepted as the type species (Cannon 1982; Wijayawardene et al. (2017). The holotype of H. rubi Fuckel (an earlier name of H. herpotrichoides) was examined by Tian et al. (2015) and characterized by ascomata spreading on substrate as a subiculum and with a black, roughened wall. Herpotrichia is polyphyletic (Tian et al. 2015). Herpotrichia dalisayi K.D. Hyde & Aptroot is the only freshwater species in the genus (Hyde and Aptroot 1998a). Herpotrichia dalisayi is characterized by superficial or partially immersed ascomata with a tangle of dark brown subiculum and 1–5-septate ascospores, which are characteristics of Herpotrichia (Hyde and Aptroot 1998a). However, the phylogenetic placement of H. dalisayi in Herpotrichia is pending confirmation with molecular data. Herpotrichia dalisayi has larger ascospores (53–60 × 16–18 μm) than other Herpotrichia species (Barr 1984; Hyde and Aptroot 1998a).
Type species: Herpotrichia herpotrichoides (Fuckel) P.F. Cannon.
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Herpotrichia.
References
Barr ME 1984 – Herpotrichia and its segregates. Mycotaxon 20:1–38.
Bose SK 1961 – Studies on Massarina Sacc. and related genera. J Phytopathol 41:151–213.
Cannon PF 1982 – Note on the nomenclature of Herpotrichia. Trans Brit Mycol Soc 79:338–339.
Fuckel L 1868 – Fungi rhenani exsic. 7: no 2171.
Sivanesan A 1984 – The bitunicate ascomycetes and their anamorphs. J. Cramer, Vaduz.
Entry by
Wei Dong, Faculty of Agriculture and Food, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand, Innovative Agriculture Research Center, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand, Institute of Plant Health, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Haizhu District, Guangzhou 510225, China
Published online 15 May 2026