Eurotiomycetes: Eurotiomycetidae and Chaetothyriomycetidae

Abstract

The class Eurotiomycetes (Ascomycota, Pezizomycotina) is a monophyletic group comprising two major clades of very different ascomycetous fungi: (i) the subclass Eurotiomycetidae, a clade that contains most of the fungi previously recognized as Plectomycetes because of their mostly enclosed ascomata and prototunicate asci; and (ii) the subclass Chaetothyriomycetidae, a group of fungi that produce ascomata with an opening reminiscent of those produced by Dothideomycetes or Sordariomycetes. In this paper we use phylogenetic analyses based on data available from the Assembling the Fungal Tree of Life project (AFTOL), in addition to sequences in GenBank, to outline this important group of fungi. The Eurotiomycetidae include producers of toxic and useful secondary metabolites, fermentation agents used to make food products and enzymes, xerophiles and psychrophiles, and the important genetics model Aspergillus nidulans. The Chaetothyriomycetidae include the common black yeast fungi, some of which are pathogens of humans and animals, as well as some primarily lichenized groups newly found to be phylogenetically associated with this group. The recently proposed order Mycocaliciales shows a sister relationship with Eurotiomycetes. The great majority of human pathogenic Pezizomycotina are Eurotiomycetes, particularly in Eurotiales, Onygenales and Chaetothyriales. Due to their broad importance in basic research, industry andPUBLIC health, several genome projects have focused on species in Onygenales and Eurotiales.

• Cleistothecium
• industrial fungi
• medically important fungi

We thank Meredith Blackwell and two anonymous reviewers for their comments on the manuscript. Individuals who provided cultures and other materials that contributed to the AFTOL effort are gratefully acknowledged. This work would not have been possible without the support of NSF grant 0090301, Research Coordination Network: A phylogeny for kingdom Fungi to M. Blackwell, J.W. Spatafora and J.W. Taylor, as well as NSF grant DEB-0228668, Assembling the Fungal Tree of Life (AFTOL) to F. Lutzoni and R. Vilgalys, and NSF CAREER award DEB-0133891 to F. Lutzoni.