Fungalpedia – Note 2429, Natipusilla
Natipusilla. A. Ferrer, A.N. Mill. & Shearer.
Citation when using this data: Dong W et al. 2020 – Fungalpedia, Ascomycota.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1
Classification: Natipusillaceae, Natipusillales, Incertae sedis, Dothideomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Saprobic on submerged wood. Sexual morph: Ascomata scattered or aggregated, erumpent to superficial, uniloculate, globose to subglobose, hyaline to brown, lacking ostioles, occasionally with minute papilla. Peridium thin, membranous, glabrous, forming a textura angularis in surface view. Pseudoparaphyses sparse or absent. Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, globose to obclavate, lacking a pedicel, with or without an ocular chamber. Ascospores overlapping tri- to multi-seriate, arranged in a group, fusiform or clavate, straight, the upper cell often shorter and broader than the lower one, mostly 1-septate, hyaline, occasionally becoming 3-septate, pale brown at age, guttulate when young, smooth, thin-walled, with or without a gelatinous sheath (Ferrer et al. 2011). Asexual morph: Undetermined.
Notes: All species described in this genus were reported from freshwater habitats in tropical and subtropical regions (Ferrer et al. 2011; Raja et al. 2012). Phylogenetic analysis using combined SSU and LSU sequence dataset placed this genus in a distinct clade within Dothideomycetes. Therefore, a novel family, Natipusillaceae (Raja et al. 2012), and new order Natipusillales (Hyde et al. 2013) were established for Natipusilla.
Ascominuta Ranghoo & K.D. Hyde was thought to be an earlier name of Natipusilla (Hyde et al. 2013) due to the bitunicate, globose asci, sheathed ascospores and freshwater habitat (Ranghoo and Hyde 1999; Hu et al. 2010a; Ferrer et al. 2011; Raja et al. 2012). However, Ascominuta differs from Natipusilla in the numbers of ascospores per asci (4 vs. 8) and colour of ascomata (hyaline to brown vs. dark brown to black). Only LSU sequence (AF132335) of
A. lignicola Ranghoo & K.D. Hyde (generic type) was deposited in Genbank, and it cannot be aligned with Natipusilla. Further molecular and morphological data are needed to clarify these two genera (Raja et al. 2012). All Natipusilla species are surrounded by a complex gelatinous sheath, except N. naponensis A. Ferrer et al. lacks a sheath (Ferrer et al. 2011; Raja et al. 2012).
Type species: Natipusilla decorospora A. Ferrer, A.N. Mill. & Shearer
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Natipusilla.
Figure 1 – Natipusilla limonensis (Material examined: PERU, Cusco, Camanti, Stream at Quince Mil Trail 1, on submerged wood, 26 May 2010, S. Zelski & H.A. Raja, PE0003). a Section of ascoma. b Globose to subglobose asci. c–f Ascospores. Arrows indicating complex gelatinous sheath. Scale bars: a = 50 µm, b–f = 20 µm.
References
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 22 May 2026