An Amended Description ofTrematosphaeria

Abstract

An amended description of Trematosphaeria is proposed, a generitype specimen is selected, and an anamorph connection reassessed. Five species of Trematosphaeria are de? scribed and presented in a key: T. pertusa, T. confusa, T. hydrela, T. mangrovis, and T. cariosa. Trematosphaeria heterospora is transferred to Phaeosphaeria and the teleomorph and an anamorph are described. The anamorph of Melanomma pulvis-pyrius is described; it does not belong to Aposphaeria. Trematosphaeria Fuckel is common to a century of taxonomic works on the Ascomycetes. Repeatedly, the generic distinctiveness of Trematosphaeria has been described and outlined in taxonomic keys, i.e., Saccardo (1883), Winter (1885), Lindau (1897), Luttrell (1973), Von Arx and Miiller (1975), and over sixty fungal taxonomists have determined that their new or transferred species belonged to Trematosphaeria. Yet, synonymy of Trematosphaeria with Melanomma Fuckel has been proposed, though rarely practiced (Winter, 1885; Berlese, 1891; Samuels and Miiller, 1979), and of late, the species named in Trematosphaeria have been regarded as an unnatural grouping (Holm, 1957; Munk, 1957; Boise, 1984). I (Boise, 1984) surveyed eighty-two species named in Trematosphaeria or described to be Trematosphaeria-like and found that most of these species do not meet the fundamental criteria for membership in Trematosphaeria that can be inferred from its higher taxa, that is, the characteristics ofthe Melanommataceae, Melanommatales, Loculoascomycetes (Barr, 1979). Excluded species are discussed in other work (Boise, 1983,1984). In this report, I present a description of Trema? tosphaeria that is consistent with, but more elaborate than FuckePs (1870) protologue and conforms with modern classification of higher taxa of Loculoasco? mycetes. A generitype specimen is selected, five species of Trematosphaeria are described, and an anamorph connection is reassessed. SPECIMEN TYPIFICATION