Fungalpedia – Note 1885, Koralionastetaceae

 

Koralionastetaceae Kohlm. & Volkm.-Kohlm.

Citation when using this data: Hyde KD et al. 2020 – Fungalpedia, Ascomycota.

Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank.

Classification: Koralionastetales, Lulworthiomycetidae, Sordariomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi

Saprobic on coralline covered rocks, sponges or on algae, found in marine habitats. Sexual morph: Ascomata black, subglobose, ovoid or ellipsoidal, superficial, ostiolate, papillate or epapillate, periphysate, subiculate, or without subiculum. Paraphyses simple, septate. Asci 8- spored, unitunicate, clavate to ellipsoidal or fusiform, pedicellate, deliquescent. Ascospores overlapping, hyaline, ellipsoidal to fusiform, multi-septate near the apices, or filiform and evenly multi-septate, thick or thin walled, germinating apically, lacking appendages. Reproductive structures: Spermatia enteroblastic, subglobose.

Notes: Koralionastetaceae currently comprises 13 species (five Koralionastes species and eight Pontogeneia species) (Wijayawardene et al. 2017a). The family was introduced by Kohlmeyer & Volkmann-Kohlmeyer (1987) to include a single genus, Koralionastes. Pontogeneia was introduced by Kohlmeyer (1975) for five perithecial ascomycetes. Koralionastetaceae is characterized by thick-walled ascospores that germinate into hyphae bearing phialidic antheridia with enteroblastic spermatia. Earlier the ordinal and higher classification of Koralionastetaceae was unresolved and Koralionastes was placed under Ascomycota genera incertae sedis (Eriksson 2006). Based on a phylogenetic study with SSU and LSU sequence data, the genera Koralionastes and Pontogeneia were assigned to Koralionastetales which is a sister group to Lulworthiales (Campbell et al. 2009). The subclass Lulworthiomycetidae was introduced to accommodate Lulworthiales and Koralionastetales based on combined sequence data by Maharachchikumbura et al. (2015).

Type genus: Koralionastes Kohlm. & Volkm.-KohlmOther

 

References

Campbell J, Inderbitzin P, Kohlmeyer J, Volkmann-Kohlmeyer B. 2009 – Koralionastetales, a new order of marine Ascomycota in the Sordariomycetes. Mycological Research 113, 373–380.

Eriksson OE. 2006 – Outline of Ascomycota–2006. Myconet 12, 1–82.

Kohlmeyer J. 1975 – Revision of algicolous Zignoëlla spp. and description of Pontogeneia gen. nov. (Ascomycetes). Bot Jahrb Syst Pflanzengesch Pflanzengeogr 96, 200–211.

Kohlmeyer J, Volkmann-Kohlmeyer B. 1987 – Koralionastetaceae fam. nov. (Ascomycetes) from coral rock. Mycologia 79, 764–778.

Maharachchikumbura SSN, Hyde KD, Jones EBG, McKenzie EHC et al. 2015 – Towards a natural classification and backbone tree for Sordariomycetes. Fungal Diversity 72, 199–301.

Wijayawardene NN, Hyde KD, Rajeshkumar KC, Hawksworth DL et al. 2017a – Notes for genera: Ascomycota. Fungal Diversity 86, 1–594.

 

Entry by

Kevin David Hyde, Institute of Plant Health, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Haizhu District, Guangzhou 510225, P.R. China, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand, Mushroom Research Foundation, 128 M.3 Ban Pa Deng T. Pa Pae, A. Mae Taeng, Chiang Mai 50150, Thailand, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand, Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, P.R. China, School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand, World Agroforestry Centre, East and Central Asia, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, P.R. China

 

Published online 5 March 2026

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