Colonies pulvinate or effused dark blackish brown to black. Mycelium superficial, composed of a network of branched, septate, subhyaline or straw coloured, smooth or rough-walled, 2-4p thick hyphae. Conidiophores borne singly, terminally and laterally on the hyphae, simple, straight or flexuous, cyhndrical, pale straw coloured, smooth or verrucose, 4-15 p long, 2-4 p thick. Conidia formed singly as blown-out ends at the apex of each conidiophore, straight or curved, subspherical, oblong, ellipsoid, obovoid or clavate, brown to dark blackish brown, verruculose to echinulate, 20-55 (37) p long, 10-25 (17) p thick in the broadest part, with 2-6 transverse and 1-4 longitudinal septa. The conidia usually become detached through fracture of the wall of the conidiophore and each conidium carries away with it the upper part of the conidiophore.

Coloniae pulvinatae vel effusae, fuscae vel atrae. Mycelium superficiale ex hyphis ramosis, septatis, subhyalinis vel stramineis, levibus vel verrucosis, 2-4 p crassis reticulatis compositum. Conidiophora singula ex apice lateribusque hypharum oriunda, simplicia, recta vel flexuosa, cylindrica, pallide straminea, levia vel verrucosa, 4-15u longa, 2-4p crassa. Conidia singula in apice conidiophori oriunda, recta vel curvata, subsphaerica, oblonga, ellipsoidea, obovoidea vel clavata, brunnea vel fusca, verruculosa vel echinulata, 20-55 (37) u longa, 10-25 (17) u crassa, septis 2-6 transversalibus et 1-4 longitudinalibus praedita.

On inflorescences of Cynodon dactylon, Zambia. This fungus grows well in culture and sporulates freely on cornmeal, malt, potato-dextrose and potatocarrot agars at room temperature.

Habitat in inflorescentiis Cynodontis dactyli, Mongu airstrip, Zambia, A. Angus, 11.ii.1963, IMI 101184 typus

The ex-type culture IMI 101184 was invaluable to placing this species in a modern taxonomic concept, prior to this study it had not been sequenced. Here we recombine this species into Pseudopithomyces rather than Pithomyces sensu stricto based on gene sequences. Sequences of ITS alone are likely insufficient to distinguish Pse. cynodontis from Pse. pavgii as the species differed by only 2 bp. However, over the four-gene alignment Pse. cynodontis differs from Pse. pavgii by 202 bp (97.59 % identity), and from Pse. sp. ‘ziziphus AU’ by 187 bp (97.77 % identity). We were unable to get the type culture to sporulate, but Ellis (1965) describes 1–4 longitudinal septa per spore, this differs from Pse. pavgii where longitudinal septa are rare. We received two cultures determined as P. cynodontis, MUCL 54991 = ICMP 24529 from Florida, and BRIP 74113c = ICMP 24722 from Australia. We consider these to be Pse. pavgii and Pse. sp. ‘ziziphus AU’ respectively.

Zambia, Western Province, Mongu airstrip; [15.254315°S, 23.156339°E]. On inflorescence of Cynodon dactylon. 11 Feb. 1963, A. Angus. (holotype IMI 101184; ex-holotype culture: ICMP 24671 = IMI 101184). GenBank: OR691862 (ITS); SRR27202290 (genome).