Microascus brevicaulis sp. nov., the teleomorph of Scopulariopsis brevicaulis, supports placement of Scopulariopsis with the Microascaceae

Abstract

Five isolates of Scopulariopsis brevicaulis have been found to form perithecia in addition to typical conidia. The teleomorph is described as Microascus brevicaulis sp. nov., characterized by small (70–130 μm diam), black, ostiolate ascocarps that are papillate or very short-necked, and with a peridium of textura angularis. The ascospores are reniform, 5–6 × 3.5-4.5 μm, smooth, and pale orange in mass. Although other species of Microascus produce a Scopulariopsis state in culture, this discovery now definitively links S. brevicaulis, the type species of Scopulariopsis, to the Microascaceae.

Key Words:

• anamorph-teleomorph connections
• Ascomycota
• holomorph
• hyphomycetes
• Microascales
• systematics