Fungalpedia – Note 2014, Woswasiaceae

 

Woswasiaceae H. Zhang, K.D. Hyde & Maharachch.

Citation when using this data: Hyde KD et al. 2020 – Fungalpedia, Ascomycota.

Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank.

Classification: Incertae sedis, Diaporthomycetidae, Sordariomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi

Saprobic, hypersaprotrophic on stromata of Diaporthe in freshwater or terrestrial habitats. Sexual morph: Ascomata perithecial, scattered, aggregated or in groups, stromatic or astromatic, immersed to erumpent, globose, subglobose or ellipsoid, coloured, sometimes seated in a stroma or basal stroma. Neck or papilla centrally located, cylindrical, upright or slightly horizontal to the substrate, pale brown, dark brown to black. Ostiolum periphysate. Peridium leathery to fragile, twoor three-layered. Paraphyses abundant, persistent, septate. Asci 8-spored, unitunicate, cylindrical- or fusoid, with a distinctive, J-, apical ring. Ascospores uniseriate or overlapping uni-seriate, hyaline, globose, subglobose, ellipsoidal or fusiform, unicellular or septate, thin- or thick-walled, verruculose or smooth-walled, with or without a gelatinous sheath. Asexual morph: Coelomycetous, produced in culture with or without sporodochial conidiomata. Conidiophores aggregated, hyaline to subhyaline, with a clavate or penicillate head or conidiogenous cells developing from hyphae. Conidiogenous cells monoblastic or polyblastic, sympodially proliferating, terminal, cylindrical, hyaline. Conidia ellipsoid to obovoid, hyaline, aseptate, smoothwalled (adapted from Raja et al. 2003, Jaklitsch et al. 2013, Réblová et al. 2014, Zhang et al. 2017a)

Notes: Woswasiaceae was introduced by Zhang et al. (2017a) and placed in Diaporthomycetidae, families incertae sedis (Jaklitsch et al. 2013, Réblová et al. 2014, Senanayake et al. 2016, Zhang et al. 2017a). The family presently contains three genera, Cyanoannulus, Woswasia and Xylochrysis. The family status was strongly supported in the MCC tree, which has a stem age at ca 115 MYA (Hyde et al. 2017a, Zhang et al. 2017a).

Type genus: Woswasia Jaklitsch, Réblová & Voglmayr.

 

References

Hyde KD, Maharachchikumbura SSN, Hongsanan S, Samarakoon MC et al. 2017a – The ranking of fungi: a tribute to David L. Hawksworth on his 70th birthday. Fungal Diversity 84, 1–23.

Jaklitsch WM, Réblová M, Voglmayr H. 2013 – Molecular systematics of Woswasia atropurpurea gen. et sp nov. (Sordariomycetidae), a fungicolous ascomycete with globose ascospores and holoblastic conidiogenesis. Mycologia 105, 476–485.

Raja HA, Campbell J, Shearer CA. 2003 – Freshwater ascomycetes: Cyanoannulus petersenii, a new genus and species from submerged wood. Mycotaxon 88, 1–17.

Réblová M, Stěpánek V, Schumacher RK. 2014 – Xylochrysis lucida gen. et sp. nov., a new lignicolous ascomycete (Sordariomycetidae) with holoblastic conidiogenesis. Mycologia 106, 564–572.

Senanayake IC, Al-Sadi AM, Bhat JD, Camporesi E et al. 2016 – Phomatosporales ord. nov and Phomatosporaceae fam. nov., to accommodate Lanspora, Phomatospora and Tenuimurus, gen. nov. Mycosphere 7, 628–641.

Zhang H, Dong W, Hyde KD, Maharachchikumbura SSN et al. 2017a – Towards a natural classification of Annulatascaceae-like taxa: introducing Atractosporales ord. nov. and six new families. Fungal Diversity 85, 75–110.

 

Entry by

Kevin David Hyde, Institute of Plant Health, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Haizhu District, Guangzhou 510225, P.R. China, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand, Mushroom Research Foundation, 128 M.3 Ban Pa Deng T. Pa Pae, A. Mae Taeng, Chiang Mai 50150, Thailand, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand, Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, P.R. China, School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand, World Agroforestry Centre, East and Central Asia, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, P.R. China

 

Published online 17 March 2026

Back to Glossary Index Page