Fungalpedia – Note 2836, Phialogeniculata
Phialogeniculata. Matsush.
Citation when using this data: Wenping W et al. 2022 – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1
Classification: Chaetosphaeriaceae, Chaetosphaeriales, Sordariomycetidae, Sordariomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Colonies hairy, brown, or blackish brown. Mycelium partly superficial, partly immersed, composed of branched, septate, smooth, pale brown to brown hyphae. Teleomorph: Unknown. Anamorph: Conidiophores macronematous, mononematous, arising from superficial mycelium, erect, straight, or slightly curved, cylindrical then becoming geniculate due to sympodial proliferation, smooth, septate, thick-walled, brown to dark brown, with sympodial proliferation. Conidiogenous cells cylindrical, obclavate, pale brown to brown, thin- and smoothwalled; collarette funnel-shaped, with a narrow sporulating locus. Conidia acrogenous, solitary, borne in a liquid droplet, hyaline, aseptate or septate, smooth, obclavate, subcylindrical, base obtuse and with a narrower truncate scar, apex acute.
Ecology/Substrate/Host: saprobe on decaying leaf, seed, branches and rotten wood.
Geographical distribution: Asia, South Africa, South America.
Description and illustration: Matsushima (1971); Kuthubutheen and Nawawi (1991); Réblová et al. (2021).
Notes: The genus Phialogeniculata was introduced by Matsushima (1971) for the dematiaceous hyphomycete, Phialogeniculata guadalcanalensis and it has been found to be a common fungus from subtropical and tropical area, including Australasia, South Africa and South America (Brazil). Kuthubutheen and Nawawi (1991) transferred this fungus to Dictyochaeta, based on closely related morphology. However, the phylogenetic analysis based on rDNA sequences shows the type species of this genus is closely related to members of Tainosphaeria and formed a distinct subclade (Réblová et al. 2021). Morphologically it is also unique in producing unbranched and septate conidiophores with geniculate proliferations, funnel-shaped collarettes, and hyaline, aseptate or septate conidia without setulae. Under the generic name Phialogeniculata, four species, mainly distinguished by shape, size and septation of conidia, are known and no teleomorph is known for any of those species (Matsushima 1971, 1993; Hyde et al. 1998). The phylogenetic relationship of other three species with the type species of the genus needs to be studied in future.
Key to known species of Phialogeniculata
1. Conidia obclavate, aseptate, 10–15 × 2.5–4 μm…………………………………………………………P. obclavata
1. Conidia septate……………………………………………………………………………………………………….2
2. Conidia 1-septate…………………………………………………………………………………………………….3
2. Conidia 2–5-septate……………………………………………………………………….…………………………4
3. Conidia 1-septate in the middle, 17–21 × 5–6 μm………………………………………………P. guadalcanalensis
3. Conidia with 1 subapical septa, 11–16 × 2.5–3 μm․ …………………………………….……… ………P. africana
4. Conidia 2-septate, 13–22 × 4–6 μm…………………………………………………….………….……P. dimorpha
4. Conidia 2–5-septate, 26–50 × 3–5 μm…………………………………………………………..……P. multiseptata
Type species: Phialogeniculata guadalcanalensis Matsush., in Kabayasi et al., Bull. natn. Sci. Mus., Tokyo 14(3): 472 (1971)
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Phialogeniculata.
References
Matsushima T 1971 – Microfungi of the Solomon Islands and Papua- New-Guinea. Author, Kobe.
Matsushima T (1993) Matsushima mycological memoirs 7. Author, Kobe.
Entry by
Wenping Wu, R&D Center, Novozymes China, No. 14 Xin Xi Lu, Shangdi Zone, Haidian District, Beijing 100085, People’s Republic of China
Published online 20 July 2026