The phylogenetic position of the lichenicolous ascomycete Capronia peltigerae

The genus Capronia includes a number of lichenicolous (lichen-inhabiting) species, none of which have previously been characterized in vitro or considered in molecular phylogenetic studies. We cultured Capronia peltigerae from Peltigera rufescens and report here the growth of this species on a variety of media and its phylogenetic position based on the analyses of nuclear ribosomal RNA, mitochondrial ribosomal RNA, and RNA polymerase II (RPB1) gene sequences. This species differs from the majority of Capronia studied in axenic culture in lacking a conidial anamorph. Phylogenetic analyses position C. peltigerae outside the Herpotrichiellaceae within a robustly supported basal lineage of the Chaetothyriales composed primarily of melanized, rock-inhabiting anamorphic fungi. Our results demonstrate that Capronia, as circumscribed currently, is polyphyletic, but they do not resolve the relationship of C. peltigerae with members of the Chaetothyriaceae.