The Lecythophora-Coniochaeta complex I. Morphological studies on Lecythophora species isolated from Picea abies

Some anamorphic species assigned to the genus Lecythophora were isolated from wind-thrown stems of Picea abies by plating fragments of increment borer cores. Three of them were found to be anamorphs of Coniochaeta species, viz. C. ligniaria, C. velutina, and C. pulveracea. Another Lecythophora species isolated from bark beetles in conifers, namely the anamorph of Coniochaeta malacotricha, was compared. In two further lecythophora-like species no teleomorph was found. The morphology of the Lecythophora species is described, illustrated, and used to construct a key. The type specimen of C. ligniaria was reexamined and illustrated. The similarity of L lignicola and L. luteoviridis to the Lecythophora anamorph of C. velutina is discussed. Also the members of Schol-Schwarz's 'Phialophora hoffmannii group' were studied and compared with the treated species. They were found sufficiently distinct and the new combinations L. luteoviridis, L. fasciculata, and L. decumbens are proposed.