Phialophora section Catenulatae disassembled: New genera, species, and combinations and a new family encompassing taxa with cleistothecial ascomata and phialidic asexual states

ABSTRACT

The Pleuroascaceae (Leotiomycetes) is introduced for Phialophora hyalina (section Catenulatae) and its closest relatives based on analyses of DNA sequences of five gene regions and the comparison of cultural and micromorphological characters. The family is resolved as a strongly supported clade that encompasses Pleuroascus and the new anamorph genera Entimomentora and Venustampulla. The latter includes V. parva, a species placed formerly in Scopulariopsis, and V. echinocandica, which is established for the echinocandin-producing isolate BP-5553. Entimomentora includes E. hyalina, a species based on the ex-type strain of Ph. hyalina. Additional isolates identified as Ph. hyalina are distantly related to the Pleuroacaceae and include Psychrophila antarctica (Arachnopezizaceae) and Cryonesomyces dreyfussii, the sole member of the new genus Cryonesomyces (incertae sedis). Isolates identified or deposited as Ph. alba are also not closely related; they include a species for which we propose the name Neobulgaria koningiana (Gelatinodiscaceae) and a second psychrophilic species that we describe as Psychrophila lagodekhiensis. Of the 13 isolates assessed for in vitro antifungal activity, only V. echinocandica inhibited the growth of Candida albicans.

KEYWORDS:

• Anamorph
• echinocandin
• phylogeny
• systematics
• 10 new taxa

ACKOWLEDGMENTS

We are indebted to Dr. Patricia Faasse (Utrecht University) for information concerning the first name of Jet Koning and Dr. Konstanze Bensch (Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute) for correcting the etymology of Psychrophila lagodekhiensis. Dr. Gary McNeely (Brandon University) and two anonymous reviewers provided constructive comments and suggestions that improved this paper.

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Funding

This study was supported a Discovery Grant to W.A.U. from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Kay and Ben Fortson endowment to G.B., and long-term research development projects of the Czech Academy of Sciences to V.Š. (Institute of Microbiology no. RVO 61388971) and M.R. (Institute of Botany no. RVO 67985939).