Morphological characterization and DNA based taxonomy of Fusiconidium gen. nov with two novel taxa within Melanommataceae (Pleosporales)

Fusiconidium mackenziei sp. nov. and Fusiconidium aquaticum sp. nov., isolated from a dead branch of Clematis vitalba in Italy and a submerged decaying wood in China respectively, are described and illustrated. The new taxa are characterized by having rhexolytic conidial secession, percurrently proliferating conidiophores, with enteroblastic conidiogenous cells and acrogenous, pale brown to dark brown, verruculose, fusiform, euseptate conidia. Fusiconidium is introduced as a novel genus to accommodate these novel species base on morphologically distinct from related asexual genera within the Dothideomycetes and multigene phylogenetic analyses. Based on multigene phylogenetic analyses, Fusiconidium is referred to the family Melanommataceae (Pleosporales).