The new hyphomycete genera Brachyalara and Infundichalara, the similar Exochalara and species of 'Phialophora sect. Catenulatae' (Leotiomycetes)

The phylogenetic relationships of five morphologically similar strains labeled Exochalara longissima were studied with sequences of Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS1-nc5.8S-ITS2) and the small and large subunits of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nc18S and nc28S rDNA) in three different molecular data sets. The phylogenetic analyses, maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony heuristic search and Bayesian approach, revealed that these strains belong to three different genera. Based on the two-gene phylogeny of nc18S-nc28S rDNA, the true relationship of the anamorphic genus Exochalara, typified with E. longissima (strains CBS 393.82 and CBS 980.73), lies within the Helotiales of the Leotiomycetes. Exochalara is characterized by upright, pigmented conidiophores with terminally integrated cylindrical monophialides and hyaline fusiform to drop-shaped conidia, cohering end-to-end in basipetal chains. The holomorph genera Hyphodiscus (anamorph Catenulifera) and Chlorociboria (anamorph Dothiorina) are shown as closest relatives of Exochalara. The strains CBS 622.82 and CBS 114633, which differ from Exochalara in shorter, decumbent conidiophores, ampulliform monophialides, ellipsoidal to obovoidal, 1-celled hyaline conidia straw-yellow in mass and sympodial ramification/branching of conidiophores in vitro also grouped in the Leotiomycetes but on a separate position from Exochalara. The new genus Brachyalara is introduced for them. Subsequently four strains of the morphologically similar Chalara microchona were analysed. Three strains, including the ex-type strain, which formed a strongly supported clade distinct from more typical species of Chalara, Brachyalara and Exochalara, are introduced as a new monotypic genus Infundichalara. Exochalara and the two newly recognized genera are compared with Chalara, Herreromyces and Phialophora. The strain MUCL 40959, according to the ITS (ITS1-ITS2) and three-gene phylogeny (nc18S-nc5.8S-nc28S rDNA) is found to belong to Monilochaetes, which is the anamorph of the holomorph genus Australiasca in the Glomerellales, Sordariomycetes. The fungus is described as a new anamorphic species and compared with the other four species in the genus.