The evolution of Massarineae with Longipedicellataceae fam. nov.

Massarineae is a suborder of Pleosporales, the latter being the largest order in Dothideomycetes. Massarineae comprises 14 families and six taxa of uncertain placement. In this study, we introduce an additional new family, Longipedicellataceae in Massarineae, which accommodates the genera Longipedicellata and Pseudoxylomyces. The family inhabits submerged culms of plants in freshwater habitats. The family can be distinguished by its very long pedicellate asci and chlamydospore-like structures, which are produced in culture. A LSU, SSU, and RPB2 dataset from representative strains used in our phylogenetic analyses shows the separation of Longipedicellataceae from the other families of Massarineae. In addition, divergence times of families in Massarineae were estimated using a molecular clock methodology. We used an Eocene fossil of Margaretbarromyces dictyosporus to estimate dates in Pleosporales with emphasis on Massarineae. In this study, the crown of Pleosporales is dated to the late Triassic (211 Mya), while the suborder Massarineae is dated to the Cretaceous (130 Mya) and family Longipedicellataceae is dated to Eocene (56 Mya).