Fungalpedia – Note 2971, Planisphaeriales

 

Planisphaeriales J.F. Zhang, Jian K. Liu & K.D. Hyde.

Citation when using this data: Zhang JF et al. 2023 – Fungalpedia. 

Index Fungorum, Faceoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank.

Classification: Sordariomycetidae, Sordariomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Dikarya, Fungi.

Saprobic on dead woody plant. Sexual morph: Ascomata perithecial, immersed to erumpent through the host tissue, with broadly crack at the apex, gregarious or scattered, depressed subglobose to obpyriform, with a flattened base, coriaceous, brown to black, clypeate, periphysate. Peridium composed of several layers of subhyaline to hyaline, thin-walled, elongated cells of textura angularis merging with red-brown pseudoparenchymatous cells. Paraphyses dissolved or persistent at age. Asci unitunicate, clavate, pedicellate, with or without apical rings. Ascospores hyaline, non-septate, reniform or narrowly ovoid, rarely in irregular shapes, straight or curved, with or without mucilaginous sheath. Asexual morph: Undetermined.

Notes: In the phylogenetic analysis our new collections (GZAAS 20-4004 and GZAAS 20-4008) form a distinct clade sister to Phyllachorales, and closely related to Boliniales (Zhang JF et al. 2023). This topology is somewhat similar to recent studies (Maharachchikumbura et al. 2016; Hongsanan et al. 2017; Hyde et al. 2020c). Morphologically, Planisphaeriales resembles some members of Phyllachorales and Boliniales in having clavate, pedicellate asci and hyaline, non-septate ascospores, nevertheless, it is differentiated from these orders by its non-stromatic ascomata with a broad crack at the apex, and the reniform or narrowly ovoid, hyaline, one-celled ascospores (Maharachchikumbura et al. 2016; Hyde et al. 2020c). The results of megablast search in NCBI’s GenBank nucleotide database for closest hits of LSU, SSU, TEF1-α and Rpb2 sequences show that these two newly collected taxa are related to different orders in the subclass Sordariomycetidae. Therefore, Planisphaeriales is introduced as a new order to accommodate its type family Planisphaeriaceae.

Type family: Planisphaeriaceae J.F. Zhang, Jian K. Liu & K.D. Hyde.

Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Planisphaeriales.

 

References

Hongsanan S, Maharachchikumbura SS, Hyde KD, Samarakoon MC et al. 2017 – An updated phylogeny of Sordariomycetes based on phylogenetic and molecular clock evidence. Fungal Divers 84:25–41.

Hyde KD, Norphanphoun C, Maharachchikumbura SSN, Bhat DJ et al. 2020c – Refined families of Sordariomycetes. Mycosphere 11:305–1059.

Maharachchikumbura SN, Hyde KD, Jones EBG, McKenzie EHC et al. 2016 – Families of Sordariomycetes. Fungal Divers 79:1–317.

Zhang JF, Liu JK, Hyde KD et al. 2023 – Ascomycetes from karst landscapes of Guizhou Province, China. Fungal Diversity 122, 1–160.

 

Entry by

Jinfeng Zhang, Guizhou Provincial Institute of Tea, Guiyang 550006, People’s Republic of China, Guizhou Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology, Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang 550006, People’s Republic of China, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand.

 

Published online 18 August 2026

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