Fungalpedia – Note 3323, Malasseziomycetes

 

Malasseziomycetes Denchev & T. Denchev, Index Fungorum 145: 1 (2014).

Citation when using this data: Wijayawardene NN et al. 2024 – Fungalpedia.

Index Fungorum, Faceoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1f.

Classification: Incertae sedis, Fungi.

Zoophilic members of the Ustilaginomycotina have a monopolar budding yeast phase showing percurrent or sympodial proliferation of the buds. Yeasts are lipid-dependent or lipophilic (excluding the case of Malassezia pachydermatis), with a multilayered cell wall and a helicoidal evagination of the plasma membrane. Sexual morph: Unknown (Denchev and Denchev 2014).

Life modes and distribution: Parasitic on the skin of warm-blooded animals (Gupta et al. 2004; Begerow et al. 2006) and widespread (Kirk et al. 2008).

Notes: Denchev and Denchev (2014) introduced Malasseziomycetes to accommodate the single-order Malasseziales. Currently, the class accommodates one order, one family, and one genus. 

Type order: Malasseziales R.T. Moore [as ‘Malesseziales’], Bot. Mar. 23(6): 371 (1980).

Type family: Malasseziaceae Denchev & R.T. Moore, Mycotaxon 110: 379 (2009).

Type genus: Malassezia Baill., Traité Bot. Méd. Crypt.: 234 (1889).

Type species: Malassezia furfur (C.P. Robin) Baill., Traité Bot. Méd. Crypt.: 234 (1889).

Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Malasseziomycetes.

 

Figure 1 – Different taxa of Basidiomycota. a Agaricomycetes (Amanita hemibapha). b Bartheletiomycetes (Bartheletia paradoxa). c Cystobasidiomycetes (Cyphobasidium), white arrow shows the fruiting bodies. d Dacrymycetes (Dacryomyces spathularia). e Exobasidiomycetes (Exobasidium ferrugineae). f Malasseziomycetes (Malassezia); g Microbotryomycetes (Microbotrium). h Physodermatomycetes (Physoderma menyanthis). i Pucciniomycetes (Puccinia). j Tremellomycetes (Tremella fusiformis). k Tritirachiomycetes (Tritirachium oryzae). l Ustilaginomycetes (Mycosystema maydis). m Wallemiomycetes (Wallemia sebi). Photo credits: Figure a: Stephen Axford, Figures B-M: iNaturalist (The photos have been used under the CC BY-NC 4.0 non-commercial use license).

 

References

Begerow D. 2006 – A phylogenetic hypothesis of Ustilaginomycotina based on multiple gene analyses and morphological data. Mycologia 98(6):906–916.

Denchev CM, Denchev TT. 2014 – Nomenclatural novelties. Malasseziomycetes Denchev & T. Denchev, class. nov. Index Fungorum. Index Fungorum. 145:1–1.

Denchev CM, Denchev TT. 2014 – Nomenclatural novelties. Malasseziomycetes Denchev & T. Denchev, class. nov. Index Fungorum. Index Fungorum. 145:1–1.

Gupta AK, Batra R, Bluhm R, Boekhout T et al. 2004 – Skin diseases associated with Malassezia species. J Am Acad Dermatol 51:785-798.

Kirk PM, Cannon PF, Minter DW, Stalpers JA et al. 2008 – Ainsworth & Bisby’s dictionary of the fungi, 10th edn. CABI, Wallingford, pp 439.

 

Entry by

Nalin N. Wijayawardene, Center for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, College of Biological Resource and Food Engineering, Qujing Normal University, Qujing, Yunnan 655011, P.R. China, Tropical Microbiology Research Foundation, 96/N/10, Meemanagoda Road, 10230 Pannipitiya, Sri Lanka, Department of Bioprocess Technology, Faculty of Technology, Rajarata University, Sri Lanka

 

Published online 2 October 2026

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