Revision of lignicolous Tubeufiaceae based on morphological reexamination and phylogenetic analysis

In this paper we revisit the family Tubeufiaceae with notes on genera that we have re-examined where possible. Generic type specimens of Acanthophiobolus, Kamalomyces, Podonectria, Thaxteriella and Thaxteriellopsis were re-examined, described and illustrated and shown to belong to Tubeufiaceae. Notes are provided on Acanthostigma, Chaetosphaerulina, Thaxterina and Tubeufia, which are retained in Tubeufiaceae; however, we were unable to locate the types of these genera during the time frame of this study. Allonecte is excluded from the Tubeufiaceae, as the ascospores are fusiform-ellipsoidal, grey-brown and 1-septate and the asci are cylindrical, all of which are features more typical of Pleosporaceae, where it is transferred. Byssocallis has yellow to orange ascomata and clavate ascospores which is atypical of Tubeufiaceae. Thus its taxonomic status needs to be reevaluated. Lentendraeopsis has an endophytic habit, cylindro-clavate asci and two-celled ascospores more typical of Pleosporales, where it is transferred. Taphrophila has small ascomata, a thin peridium, branching setae around the apex of the ascomata, clavate to saccate asci and lacks pseudoparaphyses. These are features atypical of the Tubeufiaceae, and Taphrophila should be placed in the Dothideomycetes incertae cedis. Twelve new collections of Tubeufiaceae from Thailand were isolated, and their DNA was extracted. The sequence data of LSU, SSU and ITS rDNA were amplified and analyzed using parsimony and likelihood methods. The results of phylogenetic analysis was used to establish the inter-generic relationships in Tubeufiaceae. Thaxteriellopsis lignicola, epitypified in this investigation, is a sister taxon in the family Tubeufiaceae based on phylogenetic analysis of rRNA sequence data. Chlamydotubeufia is introduced as a new genus based on the production of dictyochlamydosporous anamorphs, including two new species. Three new species, one each in Acanthostigma, Tubeufia and Thaxteriella are also described and illustrated. The phylogenetic placement of these genera is also discussed.