Longisporomyces X. Yu. Zhang, Q. Y. Zhang & B. Fan, 2025

Longisporomyces X. Yu. Zhang, Q. Y. Zhang & B. Fan gen. nov.

Etymology.

Derived from the Latin words “longus” and “spora,” indicating that its spores are elongated.

Type species.

Longisporomyces filisporum X. Yu. Zhang, Q. Y. Zhang & B. Fan , sp. nov.

Description.

Colonies pale yellow to off-white fluffy, tomentose, with irregular edges. Hyphae verruculose or smooth, multi-septate, elongated, rarely branching, various in shapes, some are straight, some wavy or curved. Some hyphae aggregate into bundles and grow upward, forming thicker mycelial masses on MEA. Asexual state: Conidiophores and conidiogenous cells absent or conidiophores reduced to conidiogenous cells. Conidia are formed directly on the hyphae in an apical or lateral manner, slender filiform, straight or flexuous, smooth, multi-septate, and sometimes in chains. Sexual state not observed.

Notes.

The family Mycosphaerellaceae constitutes the most species-rich clade within Capnodiales , comprising approximately 1,000 described species with a global distribution and considerable ecological versatility ( Bakhshi et al. 2015; Videira et al. 2017; Crous et al. 2020 b; Rajeshkumar et al. 2021). Its members exhibit remarkable ecological plasticity, functioning as plant pathogens, endophytes, saprobes, and occasionally hyperparasites. They colonize a wide range of substrates or hosts, reflecting substantial adaptive diversity. Recent taxonomic revisions, aided by integrative morphogenomic approaches, have expanded the family to include more than 135 genera ( Bakhshi et al. 2015; Videira et al. 2017; Crous et al. 2020 b; Bakhshi et al. 2021; Rajeshkumar et al. 2021). In this study, we describe a new monotypic genus, Longisporomyces , within this family, typified by Longisporomyces filisporum , based on a combination of morphological and molecular characteristics.