CBS 197.64 is a culture of Atropellis piniphila, deposited by J.C. Hopkins, isolate 61. Hopkins (Canadian Journal of Botany 39: 1521-1529, 1961) obtained isolates he identified as A. piniphila from Pinus contorta from both germinating ascospores and from diseased wood. There is no published record of the source of isolate 61, apart from that it was from one of Hopkins isolates from Alberta.

A genome from CBS 197.64 was deposited in JGI by Richard Hamelin, University of British Columbia. Sequences for all 15 genes used by Johnston et al. 2019 (IMA Fungus 10(1): 1-22, 2019) were extracted from this genome, incorporated into a concatenated alignment including the isolates reported by Johnston et al. (2019), and a phylogeny generated using the methods of Johnston et al. (2019).

This phylogeny clearly places CBS 197.64 in Hamatocanthoscyphaceae.

The culture was presumably correctly identified, as it was deposited by J.C. Hopkins who published several papers on this fungus in the early 1960's. The type species of Atropellis is A. pinicola. Ecologically and macroscopically A. pinicola and A. piniphila are very similar. They differ in ascospore size, filiform (32-63 x 1.5-3 um) in A. pinicola, oblong-elliptic (16-28 x 4-7 um) in A. piniphila. No DNA sequence data is available for A. pinicola, to provide phylogenetic confirmation of the generic relationship.

Atropellis is at present placed in Godroniaceae (Index Fungorum 2020), but without genetic support (Jaklitsch et al. 2016, Syllabus of Plant Families). As was shown by Partel et al. (Fungal Diversity 82: 183-219, 2017) in their study of encoelioid fungi, taxonomic concepts of Leotiomycetes with erumpent, leathery, dark walled apothecia have been developed largely on the basis of macroscopic appearance. These authors found that the fungi traditionally placed in Encoelia and Encoelioideae to be widely distributed across eight different lineages within the Leotiomycetes, including Godroniaceae. Such a morphology has clearly evolved multiple times. The phylogentic position of A. pinicola needs confirming, as does the generic relationship between A. pinicola and A. piniphila.

A. piniphila has a macromorphology nothing like any other known Hamatocanthoscyphaceae. Interestingly, Pinus-associated Infundichalara and Xenopolyscytalum species do belong in this family. Is it possible that if CBS 197.64 was isolated from plant tissue rather than ascospores, that it is in fact a pine-associated Infundichalara or Xenopolyscytalum sp. the conidia of which were by chance in the vicinity of the Atropellis piniphila canker?

Isolates treated by Johnston and Jones (1997) as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Group I were placed by Damm et al. (2012) in their new species Colletotrichum constrictum. This same species was given the informal name 'tam 4' in many of the unpublished notes and culture databases of Johnston.

This species rarely develops a sexual state in culture but fertile perithecia were seen in a few cultures isolated from the field. Single ascospore isolates from at least one of these cultures (isolate C1000.6, stored as a conidial suspension in 10% glycerol at -80C in the ICMP lab) behaved like the plus/minus strains described by Edgerton in the early 1900's (see discussion in Struble & Keitt, 1950) and more recently from Colletotrichum fructicola in papers such as Liang et al. (2021).

The single ascospore cultures had two distinct cultural morphologies. One was typical of the cultures isolated from the field, with scattered, large enclosed, globose conidiomata, these splitting open irregularly to expose the orange conidial masses. The second cultural type had large numbers of small, dark-based acervuli, covered with orange conidial masses. When the two cultural types were grown together in a single petri dish a row of perithecia developed along the boundary between the two cultural types. Single ascospore isolates from these perithecia segregated approximately 1:1 into the two cultural types.

The minus cultural type was never (or perhaps very rarely) isolated from the field, suggesting it was not fit.

Similar behaviour was observed in some C. kahawae subsp. cigarro (= C. gloeosporioides Group B in Johnston & Jones 1997, refered to using the informal name 'glom-avocado' in many of the unpublished notes and culture databases of Johnston), e.g. isolate C918.5. Again, the minus cultural type was rarely or never isolated from the field.

Notes prepared by Johnston, around about 1997

C. gloeosporioides Group I sensu Johnston & Jones 1997
7 days
Growth rate 35-45 mm. Some fine. cottony aerial mycelium covering colony, but not obscuring agar colony surface, no mycelial conidia. Colony dominated by relatively few, large, scattered, stromatic, black acervuli, those toward centre of colony starting to split open to reveal dull orange conidial ooze. Very centre of colony with solid conidial ooze. Agar with characteristic slightly brownish orange pigment. Scattered setae.
14 days
Colony dominated by scattered, quite numerous, large, globose, stromatic acervuli, each of which is covered by a dense weft of cottony, dark grey mycelium. Even at 14 days only those acervuli toward the centre of the colony with conidial ooze. Aerial mycelium whispy, white to pale grey. In reverse agar with orange pigment, with dark spots showing through from acervuli. In some isolates a purplish-grey pigment is concealing the orange from the centre of the colonies.
Perithecia forming tight glomerate masses, with several individual, long, dark ostiolar necks protruding. Developing along margins between 2 colonies, either as a single or double band of perithecia.

Damm U, Cannon PF, Woudenberg JH, Johnston PR, Weir BS, Tan YP, Shivas RG, Crous PW. 2012. The Colletotrichum boninense species complex. Studies in Mycology 73:1-36. doi: 10.3114/sim0002.

Johnston PR, Jones D. 1997. Relationships among Colletotrichum isolates from fruit-rots assessed using rDNA sequences. Mycologia 89: 420-430. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3761036

Liang X, Yao L, Hao X, Li B, Kong Y, Lin Y, Cao M, Dong Q, Zhang R, Rollins JA, Sun G. 2021. Molecular Dissection of Perithecial Mating Line Development in Colletotrichum fructicola, a Species with a Nontypical Mating System Featuring Plus-to-Minus Switch and Plus-Minus-Mediated Sexual Enhancement. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 87:e00474-21. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00474-21

Struble FB, Keitt GW. 1950. Variability and inheritence in Glomerella cingulata (Stonem.) S. and V.S. from appale. American Journal of Botany 37: 563-576.

LSU tree incorporating sequences from Fitzroyomyces into sequences from Balloch et al. (2010).

The fungus reported by Ekanayaka et al. (2019) as the teleomorph of Fitzroyomyces on the basis of an ITS sequence match, is clearly morphologically typical of Stictis. The Fitzroyomyces images in Crous et al. (2017) appear to match those from Johnston (1983) for anamorphs described from culture for some Stictis spp. The LSU tree suggests that Stictis may be polyphyletic, and Fitzroyomyces may be a name for the Stictis anamorphs tentatively referred to Ebollia by Johnston (1983). Unfortunately, DNA sequences are not available for those Stictis spp. reported to have Ebollia anamorphs. The Ebollia description in Nag Raj & DiCosmo (1982) is very similar to Fitzroyomyces, and the two genera may be synonymous.

Baloch E, Lucking R, Lumbsch HT, Wedin M (2010) Major clades and phylogenetic relationships between lichenized and non-lichenized lineages in Ostropales (Ascomycota: Lecanoromycetes). Taxon 59: 1483–1494.
Crous PW et al. 2017. Fungal Planet description sheets: 625–715. Persoonia 39: 279–467.

Lachnopsis sp. "blechnum"

Apothecia with very long, flexuous white hairs, common on dead Blechnum leaves leaves.

Apothecia about 0.7 mm diam., stipitate, receptacle and stipe white, densely covered with white hairs, hymenium white to pale yellow when fresh. Hairs of two lengths; short hairs stiff, about 80 x 5-6 µm; long hairs flexuous, about 400 x 3-4 µm, both thin-walled and finely rounghened all over. Excipulum of short-cylindric to subglobose cells with thickened, agglutinated to gelatinous walls. Paraphyses sublanceolate, 2 µm diam., increasing to about 4-5 µm near apex, then tapering slightly to rounded apex, extending 10 µm beyond asci. Asci more or less cylindric, tapering gradually to broadly truncate apex, walls slightly thickened at apex, small amyloid pore toward inside of wall, 8-spored. Ascospores 26-35 x 2.5-3 µm, straight, radially symmetrical, tapering to acute ends, both ends the same shape, 0-septate, hyaline.

Lachnopsis sp. "branched dark"

Small apothecia develop in groups from a branched stipe, dark hairs on a pale receptacle, forming on Dicksonia, on dead pinnae on otherwise living fronds, or in pale patches of dead fronds.

Apothecial cups less than 0.5 mm diam., forming in groups on branched stipes, with up to 15 cups arising from a common base. Hymenium and surface of receptacle pale, off-white, with stiff, black hairs on receptacle and stipe. When dry, hairs cover the hymenium. Excipulum of hyaline, short-cylindric cells with slightly thickened, agglutinated walls. Hairs 60-90 x 3-5 µm, straight, tapering to pointed apex, dark brown, roughened all over. Paraphyses 2 µm diam., taper to small rounded apex apex, about same length as asci. Asci about 30-40 x 5 µm, cylindric, apex broadly rounded, wall slightly thickened, J+ reaction faint and diffuse, extending right through the wall. Ascospores 12-18 x 1-1.5 µm, fusoid, tapering uniformly to both acute ends, radially symmetrical, straight, 0-septate.

Lachnopsis sp. "dacrydium"

Apothecia with white hairs and yellow hymnium forming on dead Dacrydium cupressinum leaves; commonly seen on dead leaves still attached to young trees

Apothecia up to 1.5 mm diam., cupulate stipitate, hymenium bright yellow, receptacle densely covered with somewhat tangled white hairs. Hymenium orange when dry. Excipulum with long-cylindric cells with slightly thickened walls. Hairs flexuous, 150-200 x 2.5-3 µm diam., undifferentiated to the apex, roughened all over. Paraphyses 2.5-3 µm diam., undifferentiated to apex, about same length as asci. Asci 70-100 x 8-9 µm, spores in the uppermost 40-50 µm, clavate to subclavate, tapering suddenly to small, subtruncate apex, wall thickened at apex with J+ pore. Ascospores (10-)14-16 x 4-6 µm, oblong-elliptic, widest point toward the upper end, tapering to rounded ends, radially symmetrical, 0-septate, hyaline.

Lachnopsis sp. "dark hymenial hairs"

A morphologically distinctive species with deeply lobed apothecia and dark brown hairs amongst the hymenial elements. DNA sequences are available for two recently collected specimens, but specimens discussed by Spooner (1987) under L. lanariceps (IMI 263462, pp. 476-478) and L. pterdiphyllum (PDD 19348, pp. 472-474), are surely the same.

Apothecia form on dead fronds of Cyathea species. Apothecia with greenish hymenium when fresh, receptacle with dark hairs, margin of cup sometimes deeply lobed to give a multi-cupped appearance, but stipe not branched. When dry, pale receptacle surface visible through the dark hairs and in places the hairs may be rubbed off to expose the pale receptacle surface. Excipulum (squash mount) of cylindric cells (approx 4-6 x 8-15 µm) with thick walls. Hairs 50-60 x 3.5-4 µm, cylindric, apex undifferentiated, roughened all over, brown vacuolar pigment. Paraphyses 1.5-2 µm diam., undifferentiated to the apex, about same length as the asci; amongst the asci and the paraphyses are elements with the same morphology as the hairs, the hair-like elements extending 30-40 µm beyond the asci. Asci 55-70 x 6-7 µm, cylindric, taper gradually to small, subtruncate apex, wall slightly thickened with tiny J+ pore that extends all the way through the wall and flaring slightly to the outside, 8-spored. Ascospores 16-21 x 2-3 µm (average 18.6 x 2.4 µm), cylindric-fusoid, more or less straight, symmetrical, tapering gradually and evenly to acute ends, 0-septate.
The morphology matches very closely that described by Spooner (1987) for IMI 263462 ex fern stem ex Queensland. He noted that this specimen was close to L. oncospermatum and L. lanariceps, but that it did not fit either species well. He speculated that the unusual morphology (compound apothecia, thick-walled excipular cells, hair-like elements in the hymenium) may reflect abnormal development in the small specimen he had available. The matching NZ specimens make this unlikely.
Known from two collections from Northland, PDD 111228 and PDD 111222, which have ITS more or less identical. ITS has a 97% BLAST match to specimens from tropical Asia that have been referred to L. oncospermatum (e.g. GenBank MK088085, KP903566). Based on Spooner 1987 and Wu et al. (Mycotaxon 67: 341-353, 1998), compared to L. oncospermatum, the Australasian species has darker hairs that lack resinous exudate, and shorter asci and ascospores. Another NZ specimens with no DNA data is the same species, PDD 82943. All three specimens are from Cyathea.

Lachnopsis sp. "mustard hairs"

A macroscopically distinctive species with long, stiff, mustard coloured hairs. A few apothecia in some collections with a branched stipe. Known only from Dicksonia

Apothecia about 0.6 mm diam., narrow stipitate (stipe sometimes branching), densely covered with long, stiff, mustard-coloured hairs. Excipular cells narrow-cylindric, about 15-25 x 6 µm, walls thin to slightly thickened, encrusted with bright yellow-brown material. Hairs 150-250 x 4 µm, brown, cylindric, not differentiated at apex, roughened all over. Paraphyses 3-4 µm diam., sublanceolate, tapering gradually to rounded apex, extending 10-20 µm beyond asci. Asci 40-55 x 4.5-5 µm, cylindric, apex rounded, wall thickened, narrow J+ pore extending all way through the wall, 8-spored. Ascospores 6-10 x 1.5-2 µm, elliptic-fusoid, uniform in shape to both ends, tapering to narrow rounded ends, radially symmetrical, 0-septate.
Does not key out in Spooner.

Lachnopsis sp. "shaggy white"

Apothecia with long, fine, flexuous, white hairs; known only on Dicksonia

Apothecia up to about 0.8 mm diam., stipitate, densely covered with long, flexuous, white hairs. Excipular cells 7-8 µm diam., more or less square in shape, with slightly thickened walls, hyaline. Hairs 150-300 x 3 µm, flexuous, undiffereniated to the apex, roughened all over. Paraphyses lanceolate, 4-5 µm diam. at a level near top of asci then tapering to narrow rounded apex, extending 20-30 µm beyond asci. Asci 40-55 x 4-5 µm, cylindric, tapering suddenly to small subtruncate apex, wall slightly thickened at apex, J+ pore extending right through the wall, flaring slightly towards the outside of the wall, 8-spored. Ascospores 8-12 x 1.5(-2) µm, cylindric, swollen near centre, ends rounded, uniform in shape to both ends, radially symmetrical, hyaline, 0-septate.
Found on pinnae of dead leaves, or on dead patches of living leaves, associated with slightly bleaching of leaves.
The ascospores are very similar in shape and size to those from PDD 108683, also with white hairs also on Dicksonia. This second species, known from a single specimen, differs phylogentically and has shorter hairs (50-100 µm).
L. brevisporum has similar long, white hairs, but lacks the lanceolate paraphyses, has slightly curved ascospores, and cylindric rather than more or less square excipular cells.

Incorporating DNA sequences for ITS, LSU, TEF, ACT and RPB2 from PDD 117678 into the datasets of De Gruyter et al. (Studies in Mycology 75: 1-36, 2012, doi:10.3114/sim0004) and Ariyawansa et al. (Fungal Diversity 74: 19-51, 2015, DOI 10.1007/s13225-015-0349-2), places Rhytidiella hebes in Leptosphaeriaceae, not Cucurbitariaceae. It belongs in a clade with Plenodomus. In this analysis, if Rhytidiella is retained as a genus, this make Plenodomus paraphyletic.

Whether or not the type species of Rhytidiella, R. muriformis is phylogentically the same is not known, but morphologically it is close to R. hebes. The morphology seems to fit reasonably well with Leptosphaeriaceae apart from the large groups of closely-grouped ascomata. Cucurbitariaceae mostly have muriform ascospores.

Incorporating DNA sequences for ITS, LSU, TEF, ACT and RPB2 from PDD 117678 into the datasets of De Gruyter et al. (Studies in Mycology 75: 1-36, 2012, doi:10.3114/sim0004) and Ariyawansa et al. (Fungal Diversity 74: 19-51, 2015, DOI 10.1007/s13225-015-0349-2), places Rhytidiella hebes in Leptosphaeriaceae, not Cucurbitariaceae. It belongs in a clade with Plenodomus. In this analysis, if Rhytidiella is retained as a genus, this make Plenodomus paraphyletic.

Whether or not the type species of Rhytidiella, R. muriformis is phylogentically the same is not known, but morphologically it is close to R. hebes. The morphology seems to fit reasonably well with Leptosphaeriaceae apart from the large groups of closely-grouped ascomata. Cucurbitariaceae mostly have muriform ascospores.