Fungalpedia – Note 2676, Spirographaceae
Spirographaceae Flakus, Etayo & Miądl.
Citation when using this data: Meng QF et al. – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, faceoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank.
Classification: Ostropales, Ostropomycetidae, Lecanoromycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi.
Spirographaceae was introduced by Flakus et al. (2019b) based on multilocus phylogenetic analysis to accommodate Spirographa Zahlbr. This family represents an independent lineage within Ostropales and is sister to the clade containing Fissurinaceae, Gomphillaceae, and Graphidaceae (Flakus et al. 2019b).
The family is characterized by two reproductive stages. The sexual state features apothecioid or perithecioid, cleistohymenial ascomata that are immersed or sessile on the host thalli or hymenia. These ascomata may occur singly or in aggregates on a stroma, are pigmented brown or black, and possess a persistent exciple and a hymenium that reacts I– and K/I–. The paraphyses are simple to branched, and the asci are functionally unitunicate, containing 16–32 spores. The ascospores are 1-septate, hyaline, narrowly ellipsoidal to fusiform, and may be curved or sigmoid. The asexual state is characterized by immersed, pycnidial conidiomata that are hyaline to yellowish-brown or dark brown, with the top disintegrating irregularly to release conidia. The conidiophores are hyaline, septate, and branched, while the conidiogenous cells are holoblastic and either synchronous or sympodial. The conidia are hyaline and exhibit diverse morphologies, including Y-shaped with a main axis and two diverging arms, triangular, or tetra- to polyhedral (Flakus et al. 2019b).
Type genus: Spirographa Zahlbr.
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Spirographaceae.
References
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 8 July 2026