Fungalpedia – Note 2886, Leightoniomyces
Leightoniomyces D. Hawksw. & B. Sutton.
Citation when using this data: Meng QF et al. – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Faceoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1.
Classification: Ascomycota genera incertae sedis, Fungi.
Leightoniomyces was introduced by Hawksworth (1977a) to describe the lichenicolous or algicolous species L. phillipsii, originally described as Periconia phillipsii by Berkeley et al. (1875), found on Thrombium epigaeum. The genus is characterized by black, effuse colonies with an immersed mycelium, lacking stroma, setae, and hyphopodia. It features macronematous, synnematous conidiophores that are dark brown to black with capitate apices. Conidia are dark brown, globose, verrucose, and produced singly (Hawksworth 1977a). Initially assigned to Dematiaceae, Leightoniomyces is now regarded as Ascomycota genera incertae sedis due to the absence of molecular data (Hyde et al. 2024). Further phylogenetic studies are needed to resolve its taxonomic placement.
Type species: Leightoniomyces phillipsii (Berk. & Leight.) D. Hawksw. & B. Sutton.
= Periconia phillipsii Berk. & Leight. (Berkeley et al. 1875).
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Leightoniomyces.
Figure 1 – Leightoniomyces phillipsii redrawn from Hawksworth (1977a). a Habit. b Vertical section of synnema and head. c Conidiogenous cells. d Conidia. Scale bars: a = 100 μm, b = 50 μm, c, d = 10 μm.
References
Berkeley M, Broome C. 1875 – Notices of British fungi [1402-1500]. Annals and Magazine of Natural History Ser. 4, 15, 28–41.
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 24 July 2026