Fungalpedia – Note 2190, Paraconiothyrium

 

Paraconiothyrium. Verkley.

Citation when using this data: Afshari N et al. 2025 – Fungalpedia, Ascomycota.

Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1

Classification: Didymosphaeriaceae, Pleosporales, Pleosporomycetidae, Dothideomycetes, Pezizomycotina, AscomycotaFungi

 

Type species: xxx

Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Paraconiothyrium.

 

Paraconiothyrium was erected by Verkley et al. (2004) to accommodate four species based on morphology and phylogeny (ITS and SSU gene regions). Currently 32 species of Paraconiothyrium have been listed in Index Fungorum (2025). Conidiomata are typically estromatic or pycnidial, solitary, subglobose to globose, and have relatively thick walls. Conidiophores are reduced to conidiogenous cells that are phialidic, conical to subulate or subcylindrical, doliiform or elongated ampulliform shapes. Conidia are variously-shaped, initially hyaline, 0–1-septate, either smooth-walled or minutely verrucose, and range from hyaline to brown. Paraconiothyrium fuckelii, P. magnoliae, P. thysanolaenae, and P. iridis were documented for their sexual morphology, with only P. fuckelii displaying both sexual and asexual forms (Wang et al. 2021b). DNA-based comparative studies have proven valuable in phylogenetics and have been employed to assess the genetic diversity of Paraconiothyrium. For instance, Paraconiothyrium shares similarities with Coniothyrium sensu stricto and Alloconiothyrium from two different families. Therefore, phylogenetic analysis is necessary to determine the appropriate generic classification of Paraconiothyrium-like species (Wijayawardene et al. 2016). In this study, we document Paraconiothyrium archidendri as the first sexual morph and a new host record on Dipterocarpus alatus from Doi Tung National Park, Thailand.

 

Type species: Paraconiothyrium estuarinum Verkley & Manuela Silva, in Verkley, da Silva, Wicklow & Crous, Stud. Mycol. 50(2): 327 (2004).

Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Paraconiothyrium.

 

image

 

Figure 1Paraconiothyrium archidendri (MFLU 24-0399, a new host record and first report of the sexual morph). a, b Appearance of ascomata on Dipterocarpus alatus woody litter. c, d Vertical sections of ascomata. e Section of peridium. Pseudoparaphyses. g–m Asci.
n–s
Ascospores. t Colonies on PDA (front and reverse). Scale bars: a = 1 mm, b = 200 μm, c, d = 50 μm, e–m = 20 μm, n–s = 10 μm.

 

References

Index Fungorum. 2025 – Available online: http://www.indexfungorum.org/names/Names.asp (accessed on 10 December 2025).

Verkley GJ, da Silva M, Wicklow DT, Crous PW. 2004 – Paraconiothyrium, a new genus to accommodate the mycoparasite Coniothyrium minitans, anamorphs of Paraphaeosphaeria, and four new species. Studies in Mycology 50, 323–335.

Wang J, Shao S, Liu C, Song Z et al. 2021b – The genus Paraconiothyrium: Species concepts, biological functions, and secondary metabolites. Critical Reviews in Microbiology 47, 781–810.

Wijayawardene NN, Hyde KD, Wanasinghe DN, Papizadeh M et al. 2016 – Taxonomy and phylogeny of dematiaceous coelomycetes. Fungal Diversity 77, 1–316.

 

Entry by

Naghmeh Afshari, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand, Center of Excellence in Microbial Diversity and Sustainable Utilization, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand

 

Published online 24 March 2026