Fungalpedia – Note 2593, Pseudonitschkia

 

Pseudonitschkia Coppins & S.Y. Kondr. 

Citation when using this data: Meng QF et al. – Fungalpedia.

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

Classification: Dacampiaceae, Pleosporales, Pleosporomycetidae, Dothideomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi

The lichenicolous genus Pseudonitschkia was established by Coppins et al. (1995) to accommodate the type species P. parmotrematis Coppins & S.Y. Kondr, which grows on Parmotrema tinctorum (Despr. ex Nyl.) Hale and P. pseudotinctorum (Abbayes) Hale. This genus is characterized by perithecial, black, spherical or collapsed cupulate ascomata that are rimose and rugose, branched and anastomosing slender hamathecial filaments, fissitunicate, club-shaped asci and hyaline, smooth, fusiform, septate ascospores with brownish veins and finely verruculose surfaces (Coppins et al. 1995). 

Pseudonitschkia was initially placed in Dothideales (Dothideomycetidae, Dothideomycetes), and was tentatively assigned to Dacampiaceae by Coppins et al. (1995), based on the morphological features. However, Lumbsch et al. (2007, 2010) later classified this genus within Dothideomycetes genera incertae sedis. Recently, Wijayawardene et al. (2017) placed it within Dacampiaceae (Pleosporales) in the outline. To date, no molecular data are available for this genus, so its phylogenetic status remains uncertain and requires further study as molecular data become available.

Type species: Pseudonitschkia parmotrematis Coppins & S.Y. Kondr. (Coppins et al. 1995)

Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Pseudonitschkia

Figure 1 – Pseudonitschkia parmotrematis redrawn from Coppins et al. (1995). a Section of Perithecium. b Section of perithecial wall. c Texture of perithecia wall. d Ascus with ascospores. e Ascospores. Scale bars: a = 25 μm, b, d = 18 μm, c, e = 10 μm.

 

References

Coppins B, Kondratyuk S. 1995 – Stygiomyces and Pseudonitschkia: two new genera of lichenicolous fungi. Edinburgh Journal of Botany 52 (2), 229–236.

Lumbsch HT, Huhndorf SM. 2007 – Outline of Ascomycota—2007. Myconet 13, 1–58.

Lumbsch HT, Huhndorf SM. 2010 – Myconet Volume 14. Part one. Outline of Ascomycota—2009. Part two. Notes on ascomycete systematics. Nos. 4751–5113. Fieldiana Life Earth Science 1, 1–64.

Wijayawardene NN, Hyde KD, Rajeshkumar KC, Hawksworth DL et al. 2017 – Notes for genera: Ascomycota. Fungal Diversity 86 (1), 1–594.

 

Entry by

Meng QF, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100, Thailand and School of Public Health, Zunyi Medical University, Guizhou 563000, China

 

Published online 11 June 2026

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