Fungalpedia – Note 2854, Paraceratocladiella
Paraceratocladiella. W.P. Wu & Y.Z. Diao.
Citation when using this data: Wenping Wu et al. 2022 – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1
Classification: Chaetosphaeriaceae, Chaetosphaeriales, Sordariomycetidae, Sordariomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Etymology: refers to its morphological similarity to the genus Paraceratocladium.
Diagnosis: Similar to Paraceratocladium in presence of setae, hyphae-like conidiophores adhering and twining around the setae, and intercalary phialidic conidiogenous cells, but differs from it by branched setae, presence of spike-like structure from the conidiophores, and ovoid, cylindrical, ellipsoidal, aseptate conidia with rounded ends.
Description on the natural substrate: Colonies effuse, brown to dark brown, hairy. Mycelium partly immersed and partly superficial, composed of brown, septate, smooth-walled hyphae. Teleomorph: Unknown. Anamorph: Setae solitary or aggregated, branched, cylindrical, erect, straight, or flexuous, smooth or verruculose, septate. Conidiophores hyphae-like, irregularly branched, septate, flexuous, ascendant, adhering and twining around the setae, smooth-walled, pale brown, bearing internal spike-like structure and conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells monophialidic or polyphialidic, mostly intercalary, lageniform, ampulliform; collarette conspicuous, funnelshaped, pale brown. Conidia in slimy head, ovoid, cylindrical, ellipsoidal, aseptate, hyaline, smooth, thin-walled, both ends rounded.
Ecology/Substrate/Host: Saprobe on dead material of plants.
Geographical distribution: China and Cuba.
Notes: The genus Paraceratocladiella is created to accommodate Paraceratocladium polysetosum and Paraceratocladium seychellarum which are morphologically similar to other members of Paraceratocladium, but differs in forming branched setae, intercalary spike-like structure in the conidiophores, and ovoid, cylindrical, ellipsoidal, and aseptate conidia with rounded ends (Castañeda-Ruiz 1987; McKenzie and Hyde 1997; Dulymamode et al. 1998; Whitton et al. 2001). This is supported by the molecular phylogenetic analysis.
Type species: Paraceratocladiella polysetosum (R.F. Castañeda) W.P. Wu & Y.Z. Diao (≡ Paraceratocladium polysetosum R.F. Castañeda).
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Paraceratocladiella.
Figure 1 – Paraceratocladiella polysetosa (Wu1523a). a Conidia. b Setae and conidiophores bearing intercalary conidiogenous cells. c Conidiophores and intercalary conidiogenous cells with funnel-shaped collarettes. Scale bar: b 40 μm, a, c 20 μm
References
McKenzie EHC, Hyde, KD (1997) Microfungi on Pandanaceae In K D Hyde (Ed), Biodiversity of tropical microfungi (pp 157–177), Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
Entry by
Wenping Wu, R&D Center, Novozymes China, No. 14 Xin Xi Lu, Shangdi Zone, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, P.R. China
Published online 24 July 2026