Freshwater ascomycetes from southern Australia: Melanascomaceae fam. nov., Melanascoma panesporagen. et. sp. nov., and Pleurotheciumbruniussp. nov

During a survey of freshwater fungi in temperate southern Australia, two new taxa were found, Melanascoma panespora and Pleurothecium brunius. Morphological and molecular data place Melanascoma panespora in the Diaporthomycetidae representing a new genus. Melanascoma, along with Proliferophorum and Paraproliferophorum, form a new lineage and the family Melanascomaceae is introduced. Phylogenetic analyses using ITS, 28S, and 18S nrRNA gene sequences,, along with morphological examination revealed Pleurothecium brunius to be a new species of Pleurothecium, sister to P. aquaticum. Citation: Fryar SC, Catcheside DEA (2023). Freshwater ascomycetes from southern Australia: Melanascomaceae fam. nov., Melanascoma panespora gen. et. sp. nov., and Pleurothecium brunius sp. nov. Fungal Systematics and Evolution 11: 85-93. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2023.11.07.

Wongia gen. nov. (Papulosaceae, Sordariomycetes), a new generic name for two root-infecting fungi from Australia

The classification of two root-infecting fungi, Magnaporthe garrettii and M. griffinii, was examined by phylogenetic analysis of multiple gene sequences. This analysis demonstrated that M. garrettii and M. griffinii were sister species that formed a well-supported separate clade in Papulosaceae (Diaporthomycetidae, Sordariomycetes), which clusters outside of the Magnaporthales. Wongia gen. nov, is established to accommodate these two species which are not closely related to other species classified in Magnaporthe nor to other genera, including Nakataea, Magnaporthiopsis and Pyricularia, which all now contain other species once classified in Magnaporthe.