Fungalpedia – Note 3288, Orbiliomycetes

 

Orbiliomycetes O.E. Erikss. & Baral, in Eriksson, Baral, Currah & Hansen, Myconet 9: 96 (2003).

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

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

Notes: The class Orbiliomycetes was introduced by Eriksson and Baral in Eriksson et al. (2003) based on extraordinary morphologies and molecular data to include the family Orbiliaceae which has extremely increased in the past decades to around 500 species with a known teleomorph (Baral et al. 2020). The extraordinary morphology of the bilateral-symmetrical ascus apex and the living ascospores with their spore bodies were first addressed by Baral (1994). Important comprehensive works on the classification of the group were those by Boudier (1904-1910), Velenovský (1934), Svrček (1954) and Spooner (1987) for the teleomorphs. A large number of authors have worked on the predacious anamorphs of Orbiliomycetes, one of the most important being Drechsler (e.g., Drechsler 1937). A survey of nematode-trapping taxa was provided by Rubner (1996) and Yu et al. (2014).

Pfister (1997) and Hagedorn and Scholler (1999) were the first to apply DNA sequence-based methods to the family to connect sexually and asexually typified taxa and to suggest relationships for taxa with similar trapping devices by replacing previous concepts that were based on the different types of conidiophores and conidia. 

According to Baral et al. (2020), the class currently comprises one order, one family, and ten genera. This was accepted by Wijayawardene et al. (2020a, 2022a). 

One fungus one name: A large number of members of Orbiliomycetes have been reported as pleomorphic taxa, and numerous genera have been recognized to accommodate them based on the different types of conidiophores and conidia (Baral et al. 2018). About 15 of these genera have been accepted prior to the new rules of adopting only one name for one taxon. Different opinions exist about the circumscription of a genus. Baral et al. (2020) proposed a rather wide concept by recognizing a very large genus Orbilia.

Type order: Orbiliales Baral, O.E. Erikss., G. Marson & E. Weber, in Eriksson, Baral, Currah & Hansen, Myconet 9: 96 (2003).

Type family: Orbiliaceae Nannf., Nova Acta R. Soc. Scient. upsal., Ser. 4 8(no. 2): 250 (1932).

Type genus: Orbilia Fr., Fl. Scan.: 343 (1836).

Type species: Orbilia xanthostigma (Fr.) Fr. 1849 (designated by Bachman, Ann. rep. Ohio State Acad. Sci. 5(no. 2): 57. 1909); fide Index Fungorum (2023).

Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Orbiliomycetes.

Figure 1 – Macro- and micromorphological characteristics of Orbiliomycetes. a‒j Apothecia; a Hyalorbilia inflatula. b Orbilia clavuliformis. c Lilapila oculisporella. d Orbilia mirabilis. e O. patellarioides. f O. orientalis. g O. rubrovacuolata. h O. xanthostigma. i O. fimbriata. j O. crenatomarginata; k Asci; k1 Lecophagus ellipsoideus. k2 O. multiaustraliensis; l Paraphyses; 11 O. sarothamni. l2 O. carpoboloides. l3 O. eucalypti. l4 O. amarilla; m. Ascospores; m1 Lilapila oculispora. m2 O. subsphaerospora. m3 Amphosoma resinicola. m4 Hyalorbilia fusispora. m5 O. flavida. m6 O. cercidicola. m7 O. xanthoguttulata. m8 O. menageshae. m9 O. carpoboloides. m10 O. bicknellensis. m1 O. myriomuscula. m1 O. subaristata; n Conidia; n1 O. fissilis. n2 O. aprilis. n3 O. auricolor. n4 O. subvinosa. n5 O. eucalypti. n6 O. patellarioides. n7 Hyalorbilia inflatula.

 

References

Baral HO, Weber E, Gams W, Hagedorn G et al. 2018 – Generic names in the Orbiliaceae (Orbiliomycetes) and recommendations on which names should be protected or suppressed. Mycol Prog 17:5–31.

Baral HO, Weber E, Marson G. 2020 – Monograph of Orbiliomycetes (Ascomycota) based on vital taxonomy. National Museum of Natural History Luxembourg.

Baral HO, Weber E, Marson G. 2020 – Monograph of Orbiliomycetes (Ascomycota) based on vital taxonomy. National Museum of Natural History Luxembourg.

Baral HO. 1994 – Comments on ‘Outline of the ascomycetes – 1993. Systematics of Ascomycetum 13:113–128.

Drechsler C. 1937 – Some hyphomycetes that prey on free-living terricolous nematodes. Mycologia 29:447–552

Drechsler C. 1937 – Some hyphomycetes that prey on free-living terricolous nematodes. Mycologia 29:447–552.

Eriksson OE, Baral HO, Currah RS, Hansen K et al. 2003 – Notes on ascomycete systematics Nos 3580–3623. Myconet 9:91–103.

Pfister DH. 1997 – Castor, Pollux and life histories of fungi. Mycologia 89:1–23.

Rubner A. 1996 – Revision of predacious hyphomycetes in the Dactylella-Monacrosporium complex. Stud. Mycol. 39:1–134

Spooner BM. 1987 – Helotiales of Australasia: Geoglossaceae, Orbiliaceae, Sclerotiniaceae, Hyaloscyphaceae. Bibl Mycol 116:1–711.

Svrček M. 1954 – Revisio critica J. Velenovskýi specierum generis Orbilia. Acta Entomol Mus Natl Pragae. Series Botany 10 (B,1):1–23.

Velenovský J. 1934 – Monographia discomycetum Bohemiae. Vol. 1, 2. –Pragae.

Wijayawardene NN, Hyde KD, Al-Ani LKT, Tedersoo L et al. 2020a – Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa. Mycosphere 11:1060–1456.

Wijayawardene NN, Hyde KD, Dai DQ, Sánchez-García M et al. 2022a – Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa – 2021. Mycosphere 13:53–453.

Yu ZF, Mo MH, Zhang Y, Zhang KQ et al. 2014 – Taxonomy of nematode-trapping fungi from Orbiliaceae, Ascomycota. In: K.Q. Zhang & K.D. Hyde (eds.). Nematode-trapping fungi. Fungal Divers Research Series 23, Springer, Dordrecht, pp 41–210.

 

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 25 September 2026

Back to Glossary Index Page