Fungalpedia – Note 3240, Neomorosphaeria
Neomorosphaeria S.N. Zhang, E.B.G. Jones & K.D. Hyde.
Citation when using this data: Zhang SN et al. 2024 – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Faceoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1.
Classification: Morosphaeriaceae, Pleosporales, Pleosporomycetidae, Dothideomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi.
Etymology: The generic name refers to the taxon resembling Morosphaeria.
Saprobic from marine mangrove habitat. Sexual morph Ascomata semi-immersed, hemispherical or lenticular on substrate, solitary to gregarious, unilocular, clypeate with a central ostiolate. Peridium less developed at the base, composed of pale brown cells of textura angularis. Hamathecium filamentous, pseudoparaphyses, embedded in a gelatinous matrix. Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindrical to clavate, pedicellate. Ascospores overlapping 1−2-seriate, fusiform to ellipsoidal, hyaline, 1–3-septate, surrounded by a mucilaginous sheath. Asexual morph undetermined.
Notes: Neomorosphaeria is introduced to accommodate a fungus from a mangrove habitat, and characterized by hemispherical or lenticular ascomata with a prominent clypeus, clavate asci, and hyaline, 1–3-septate, fusiform to ellipsoidal ascospores, surrounded by a mucilaginous sheath. Neomorosphaeria resembles Morosphaeria, but the septa within ascospores of Neomorosphaeria yield four equal cells, while in Morosphaeria the ascospores are markedly constricted at the central septum, and the secondary septa are near the acute ends resulting in unequal cells. In addition, some Morosphaeria species have cap-like polar appendages to their ascospores. Neomorosphaeria differs from Aquilomyces and Clypeoloculus in the prominent ascomata and 1–3-septate, fusiform to ellipsoidal ascospores. It is distinct from Helicascus which has stromatic ascomata and dark brown ascospores. Multi-gene phylogeny analyses (Fig. 5; Zhang SN et al. 2024) showed that Neomorosphaeria nested in Morosphaeriaceae and formed an independent branch, which supports the introduction of a new genus in this family.
Type species: Neomorosphaeria mangrovei S.N. Zhang, E.B.G. Jones & K.D. Hyde.
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Neomorosphaeria.
Figure 1 – Neomorosphaeria mangrovei (MFLU 19-0810 holotype) a Ascomata on substrate surface. b Vertical section through an ascoma. c Peridium. d Ostiole with periphyses. e Pseudoparaphyses. f–i Asci. j–m Ascospores. n Germinating ascospore. o, p Colony on MEA, above (o), below (p). Scale bars: a = 500 μm; b, f–i = 50 μm; d = 20 μm; c, e, j–n = 10 μm.
References
Entry by
Sheng-Nan Zhang, School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Informational Biology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, P.R. China., Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand., Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand.
Published online 18 September 2026