Fungalpedia – Note 2191, Sporicula
Sporicula. N. Afshari, Lumyong & K.D. Hyde.
Citation when using this data: Afshari N et al. 2025 – Fungalpedia, Ascomycota.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1
Classification: Fusculinaceae, Pleosporales, Pleosporomycetidae, Dothideomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Saprobic on dead branches of Microcos paniculata. Sexual morph: Undetermined. Asexual morph: Coelomycetous. Conidiomata pycnidial, embedded in stromatic tissue, brown to pale brown, scattered, solitary, immersed, erumpent, globose to sub-globose, coriaceous. Conidiomatal wall composed of brown, loosely arranged cells of textura angularis. Conidiophores reduced to conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells sub-cylindrical, tapering towards apex, hyaline, smooth-walled, monophialidic, mostly percurrent proliferations in apical part. Conidia fusiform, straight, hyaline, aseptate, verruculose, smooth-walled, rounded to truncate at base.
Notes – Sporicula has a single species, S. chiangraiensis (MFLUCC 24-0551), formed a basal clade to other members in Fusculinaceae (Fusculina eucalypti (CBS 120083), F.eucalyptorum (CBS 145083), F. regnans (CBS 143428), and Gordonomyces mucovaginatus (CMW 22212)) with 98% ML support in the combined LSU, ITS, SSU, and tef1-α sequence data of Pleosporales Based on BLAST search results LSU, ITS, SSU, and 93.69% sequences, S. chiangraiensis (MFLUCC 24-0551), demonstrates 97.91%, 88.27%, 89.47% and 91.83% similarities to the closest related taxa available in GenBank. The genus is similar to the members of Fusculinaceae in having brown, immersed pycnidial conidiomata, conidiomatal wall consisting of brown cells of textura angularis, and conidiophores reduced to conidiogenous cells. However, this genus has only one type of conidiogenous cells and conidia (Crous at al. 2018). In Fusculinaceae, Sporicula chiangraiensis is a saprobic species, whereas Gordonomyces mucovaginatus is a pathogen (Crous et al. 2011), also both Fusculina eucalypti and F. regnans are pathogenic, while F. eucalyptorum has been isolated as an endophyte (Crous et al. 2019a). Hence, based on these morphological and phylogenetic differences, we establish a new genus to accommodate S. chiangraiensis. Additional collections and molecular characterization are essential to further validate the placement of this genus.
Type species: Sporicula chiangraiensis N. Afshari, Lumyong & K.D. Hyde.
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Sporicula.
Figure 1 – Sporicula chiangraiensis (MFLU 24-0463, holotype). a Conidiomata on Microcos paniculata woody litter. b Longitudinal section of conidiomata. c, d Vertical section through conidiomata. e Conidiomatal wall. f, g Conidiophores with conidia. h–j Conidia. k A germinated conidium. l Colony on PDA (front and reverse). Scale bars: a = 1 mm, b = 200 μm, c, d = 20 μm, e–h, k =10 μm, i, j = 5 μm.
References
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