| Falcocladium | |
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| Scientific classification | |
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| Order: | Falcocladiales R.H. Perera, Maharachch., Somrith., Suetrong & K.D. Hyde
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| Family: | Falcocladiaceae Somrith., E.B.G. Jones & K.L. Pang [1]
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| Genus: | Falcocladium S.F. Silveira, Alfenas, Crous & M.J. Wingf.Cite error: There are
<ref> tags on this page without content in them (see the help page). |
| Type species | |
| Falcocladium multivesiculatum S.F. Silveira, Alfenas, Crous & M.J. Wingf.
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The Falcocladium are a genus of fungi, within the monotypic family of Falcocladiaceae Somrith., E.B.G. Jones & K.L. Pang, and within the monotypic order of Falcocladiales R.H. Perera, Maharachch., Somrith., Suetrong & K.D. Hyde, within the class Dothideomycetes.[2] They are saprobic on leaf litter, including leaves of Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus camaldulensis in tropical and terrestrial habitats.
Falcocladiales R.H. Perera, Maharachch., Somrith., Suetrong & K.D. Hyde
Falcocladiaceae Somrith., E.B.G. Jones & K.L. Pang [1]
Falcocladium S.F. Silveira, Alfenas, Crous & M.J. Wingf. (5
Falcocladiales was introduced to accommodate family Falcocladiaceae by Maharachchikumbura et al. (2015).[3] The Falcocladiaceae family comprises of a single genus Falcocladium (Jones et al. 2014).[1] Falcocladiales grouped as sister order to Coronophorales and Parasympodiellales with low statistical support (63% ML) in phylogenetic analysis. The divergence time for Falcocladiales has been estimated as 192 MYA (Million years ago).[3]
Falcocladiaceae Somrith., E.B.G. Jones & K.L. Pang, Cryptog. Mycol. 35(2): 134 (2014)[1]
Saprobic on leaf litter, including leaves of Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus camaldulensis in tropical, terrestrial habitats. Sexual morph: Undetermined. Asexual morph: Hyphomycetous. Conidiomata hyaline, sporodochial or synnematal or penicillate, intermixed with setae, arising from a stroma or microsclerotia or prostrate mycelium Setae cylindrical, thick and smooth- walled, hyaline, non-septate and terminating in variedly-shaped vesicles. Conidiophores subcylindical, hyaline, septate, branched, forming up to three series of branches per conidioma (primary, secondary and tertiary). Conidiogenous cells ampulliform, phialidic, arranged in 2–6 whorls, with elongate necks, with minute collarettes. Conidia trans- (1)-septate, hyaline, smooth- walled, falcate, guttulate, with short apical and basal appendages (adapted from Jones et al. 2014,[1] Maharachchikumbura et al. 2016b).[4]
Type genus – Falcocladium S.F. Silveira
Etymology It was named after its falcate shaped conidia.[5]
Crous et al. (2007a) used the BLASTn tool to compare ITS and LSU gene regions with reference sequences, suggesting the placement of Falcocladium in Hypocreales order and further considered the genus to be polyphyletic.[6] Jones et al. (2014) introduced the monotypic family Falcocladiaceae which formed a monophyletic clade in Hypocreomycetidae class, based on LSU and SSU nuclear genes to accommodate members of Falcocladium.[1] They suggested further taxon sampling to determine its ordinal status. Based on an LSU and SSU combined gene phylogenetic study, Falcocladiaceae was placed in Falcocladiales (Maharachchikumbura et al. 2015).[3] In a phylogenetic analysis by Réblová et al. (2016b), Falcocladiales showed close affinity to orders Coronophorales and Melanosporales.[7] Several phylogenetic studies showed similar results (Maharachchikumbura et al. 2016b;[4] Réblová et al. 2016b).[7] Currently, the order includes one hyphomycetous genus Falcocladium introduced by Crous et al. (1994a).[5] Falcocladium species can be distinguished based on morphology of vesicular apices of setae which ranges from ellipsoidal, sphaero-pedunculate to turbinate and conidial measurements (Somrithipol et al. 2007).[8] No sexual morph has been recorded for the family.
Type species – Falcocladium multivesiculatum S.F. Silveira, Alfenas, Crous & M.J. Wingf.
Notes – Falcocladium includes five species, all of which occur on leaves, namely Falcocladium africanum, Falcocladium multivesiculatum, Falcocladium sphaeropedunculatum, Falcocladium turbinatum, and Falcocladium thailandicum. Falcocladium species can be distinguished based on their setal vesicle shape (ellipsoidal, sphaer-pedunculate or turbinate) and conidial dimensions. Phylogenetically they are distinct from other genera in the Hypocreomycetidae class and form a monophyletic clade (Jones et al. 2014).[1]
In this entry we illustrate Falcocladium multivesiculatum. The species Falcocladium multivesiculatum has a wide host range and mainly occurs on leaves, including Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus camaldulensis. The fungus is distributed mainly in tropical forests (Somrithipol et al. 2007,[8] Maharachchikumbura et al. 2016b).[4] The taxon fits well within the species concept of Falcocladium with white sporodochia, bearing thick-walled aseptate, stipe extensions and hyaline, 0–1-septate, falcate conidia, with short apical and basal appendages (Crous et al. 1994a,[5] Somrithipol et al. 2007).[8]
Silveira and co-workers (in Crous et al. 1994) erected the new anamorph genus Falcocladium S.F. Silveira, Alfenas, Crous & M.J.Wingf., with Falcocladium multivesiculatum S.F. Silveira, Alfenas, Crous & M.J. Wingf., isolated from Eucalyptus leaf litter collected in Brazil, as the type species.
It was compared to genera; Cylindrodendrum, Pulvinotrichum and Unicegra which also had similar characteristics but due to the falcate conidia. It was declared as a new genera.[5]
The genus was characterized by having thick-walled, non septate stipe extensions that terminate in thin-walled vesicles and appendaged, falcate conidia (Crous et al.1994).[5] Other outstanding characters such as sporodochial or synnematous conidiomata and stromata comprised of thick-walled, red-brown chlamydospores were also described. In F. multivesiculatum the vesicles are ellipsoidal and the conidia are 0±1 septate (Crous etal. 1994).[8]
the known Falcocladium species are chiefly distinguished by the morphologies of their vesicles and conidia.[8] saprobic microfungi in Thailand (Somrithipol & Jones 2006)[9]
Falcocladium sphaeropedunculatum Crous & Alfenas sp. nov. was described from living leaves of Eucalyptus pellita F. Muell. × brassiana T.S. Blake collected in the Amazonas province of Brazil.[10]
Following a reevaluation of the marine fungi affiliated to the TBM clade, together with the terrestrial genus Falcocladium, new families were introduced to accommodate its four subclades: Juncigenaceae, Etheirophoraceae, Falcocladiaceae, and Torpedosporaceae, all belonging to the order Torpedosporales (Jones et al. 2014; Abdel-Wahab et al. 2018). Based on phylogeny and morphological data, Maharachchikumbura et al. (2015) introduced the order Falcocladiales (Falcocladiaceae) under the class Sordariomycetes. [11]
The genus Falcocladium contain 4 known species;[12]