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Family:

Pleosporales incertae sedis (Ascomycota)

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Description:

Type: - Monoblastiopsis konzana R. C. Harris & C. A. Morse

Description: (from Harris & Morse 2008) - Thallus not evident, immersed in rock (rock surface often with extraneous cyanobacteria). Photobiont chlorococcoid, mostly in discontinuous clumps, with ± globose cells, 5–7 µm in diameter. Ascomata globose, often constricted at base, sessile or semi-immersed, rarely forming shallow pits in limestone, black, slightly shiny, solitary or confluent, with conspicuous, open or sunken ostiole with short periphyses; ascomatal wall entire, hard and brittle when dry, composed of a single layer, formed of irregular cells with dark brown extracellular pigment. Interascal hyphae slender, branched and anastomosed pseudoparaphyses? arising from a brownish base; gel I–. Asci cylindrical to ± clavate, fissitunicate, thick-walled and with ocular chamber, with 8 spores. Ascospores nonseptate, colorless, ellipsoid to narrowly ellipsoid, without a halo, weakly ornamented at maturity. Pycnidia globose, sessile or slightly immersed; pycnidial wall as in ascomata. Conidiophores branched. Conidia colorless, narrowly ellipsoid. Chemistry not studied but assumed to be nil.

Discussion: (from Harris & Morse 2008) - At first Monoblastiopsis was thought to belong to the Monoblastiaceae Watson, similar to Monoblastia in nonseptate spores, differing in ascus type (not narrowly cylindrical with uniseriate spores), and similar to Anisomeridium (Müll. Arg.) M. Choisy in ascus type, differing in having nonseptate spores. However, the presence of a chlorococcoid photobiont (Trentepohlia in Monoblastiaceae), periphysate ostioles, and branched conidiophores suggested otherwise. The Thelenellaceae H. Mayrhofer have a chlorococcoid photobiont but differ from Monoblastiopsis in ascus type and in muriform ascospores. Verrucariaceae Zenker differ in lacking interascal hyphae at maturity, iodine reaction, and ascus type. The best fit may be with lichenicolous genus Zwackhiomyces Grube & Hafellner. The ascospores of the majority of species of Zwackhiomyces are 1-septate but Hoffmann & Hafellner (2000) include Z. lecanorae (Stein) Nik. Hoffmann & Hafellner with nonseptate ascospores. However, in addition to being lichenicolous, Zwackhiomyces differs in lacking periphyses and in having narrowly bottle-shaped conidiogenous cells. If one examines some of the larger gene trees of fungi (e.g., Hibbett et al. 2007), one notes that differing photobionts seem to be indicative of lichenization events. With the thought that Monoblastiopsis might represent an unrecognized lichenization event, a broader search beyond the usual suspects (above) was undertaken. Nonseptate ascospores are unusual in ascomycetes with fissitunicate asci but are typical in the Botryosphaeriaceae Theiss. & P. Syd. Beyond the similarity in spore type, there seem to be some other similarities to suggest placing Monoblastiopsis in the Botryosphaeriales Schoch, Crous & Shoemaker: the ascus type is similar (compare Cannon & Kirk 2007, p. 44) and although the conidial anamorphs of Botryosphaeriaceae are mostly different from the microconidia of Monoblastiopsis, Cannon & Kirk (2007) write “[a] conidial spermatial morph is also present in some species” (we have not seen any description of these). Although there seem to be similarities with the Botryosphaeriaceae, inclusion of Monoblastiopsis in the Botryosphaeriaceae s. str. seems to be precluded by its lichenization, occurrence on rock, superficial ascomata, structure of the ascomatal wall (pseudoparenchymatous in Botryosphaeria) and presence of periphyses. Since, at this point, it seems only remotely possible that Monoblastiopsis could be referred to the order Botryosphaeriales, one is left with the relatively meaningless option of last resort “Pleosporales M. E. Barr, incertae sedis” or perhaps Botryosphaeriales, incertae sedis. The systematic disposition of Monoblastiopsis and whether it represents a unique lichenization event awaits molecular study. The two species so far known differ morphologically, in substrate preference and in distribution.