Fungalpedia – Note 3088, Ophionectria
Ophionectria Sacc., Michelia 1(no. 3): 323 (1878).
Citation when using this data: Perera RH et al. 2023 – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1.
Classification: Nectriaceae, Hypocreales, Hypocreomycetidae, Sordariomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi.
Saprobic on decaying woody substrates or other plant debris. Sexual morph: Subiculum if present white to bright yellow, composed of thick-walled, minutely warted septate hyphae, each cell swollen at one end. Ascomata perithecial, solitary or aggregated in groups, superficial on substrate or sometimes seated on a subiculum, ovoid to elongate-ovoid to cylindrical, often truncate at the apex, red-orange to scarlet, KOH+ dark red to bay, surface covered with warts, ascomata often naked towards the apex. Ascomatal warts conspicuous, concolorous, composed of loosely compacted, irregularly globose, pigmented cells. Apical paraphyses early evanescent, septate, hyaline. Asci 8-spored, unitunicate, clavate, without an apical ring. Ascospores long-fusiform, often slightly bent, vermiform, multi-septate, the proximal end slightly inflated and bluntly rounded, the distal end tapering and narrowly rounded, thick-walled, hyaline, with faint longitudinal striations or smooth. Asexual morph: Conidiophores arise laterally from hyphae, septate, unbranched, erect, straight, thin-walled, hyaline tapering toward the apex, bearing a single phialide at the apex. Conidiogenous cells phialidic, cylindrical. Conidia fusiform, (2–)3–5(–6)-septate, with the two middle cells larger than the end cells, not constricted at the septa, or broadly ellipsoidal to ovoid and slightly constricted at the median septum, initially hyaline turning olive-yellow with age (adapted from Rossman 1977; Rossman et al. 1999; Lombard et al. 2015).
Known distribution: Worldwide
Notes: Saccardo (1878) introduced Ophionectria to accommodate Nectria species with very long spores. Rogerson (1970) seperated Calonectria from Ophionectria based on ascospore length-width ratio (less or greater than 20: 1). However, ascospore length-width ratios do not separate these two genera properly (Rossman 1977). Rossman (1977) suggested to use perithecial wall structure to differentiate Ophionectria and Calonectria. Lombard et al. (2015) proposed to protect older and widely used generic name Ophionectria over generic name Antipodium, which was followed by Rossman et al. (2016).
Type species: Ophionectria trichospora (Berk. & Broome) Sacc., Michelia 1(no. 3): 323 (1878).
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Ophionectria.
Figure 1 – Ophionectria trichospora (IMI 71785, holotype of Nectria trichospora) a Herbarium packet b Squash mount of an ascoma c, d Vertical sections of ascomata e–g Asci and ascospores. Scale bars: b =500 µm, c, d = 200 µm, e–g =100 µm.
References
Rogerson CT 1970 – The hypocrealean fungi (Ascomycetes, Hypocreales). Mycologia, 42:865–910.
Rossman AY 1977 – The Genus Ophionectria (Euascomycetes, Hypocreales). Mycologia, 69:355–391.
Rossman AY, Samuels GJ, Rogerson CT et al. 1999 — Genera of Bionectriaceae, Hypocreaceae and Nectriaceae (Hypocreales, Ascomycetes). Stud Mycol 42:1–248.
Saccardo PA 1878 – Enumeratio Pyrenomycetum Hypocreaceorum hucusque cognitorum systemate carpologico dispositorum. Michelia 1:277–325.
Entry by
Perera RH, Guizhou Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology, Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, Guizhou 550006, P. R. China, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand, School of Science, 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.
Published online 3 September 2026.