Eurotiomycetes

Eurotiomycetes is a large class of ascomycetes with cleistothecial ascocarps within the subphylum Pezizomycotina, currently containing around 3810 species according to the Catalogue of Life. It is the third largest lichenized class, with more than 1200 lichen species that are mostly bitunicate in the formation of asci. It contains most of the fungi previously known morphologically as "Plectomycetes".

Systematics and phylogeny

Internal relationships

The class Eurotiomycetes was circumscribed in 1997 by Swedish mycologists Ove Erik Eriksson and Katarina Winka. At that time it only contained the order Eurotiales, which together with the next order added, Onygenales, form a monophyletic group comprising most of the fungi in "Plectomycetes", a group no longer in use that unified fungi under exclusively morphological characteristics.

As more orders were added to Eurotiomycetes, the first two along with Arachnomycetales became constrained to the first subclass, Eurotiomycetidae. In 2001, the second subclass, Chaetothyriomycetidae, was erected to accommodate Chaetothyriales and its sister group Verrucariales, as well as Pyrenulales since 2004. These two remain as the major subclasses of Eurotiomycetes.

The remaining subclasses were created through more phylogenetic analyses to accommodate outlying taxa or newly discovered groups: Mycocaliciomycetidae in 2007, Coryneliomycetidae and Sclerococcomycetidae in 2016, and lastly Cryptocaliciomycetidae in 2021. The following cladogram shows the relationships between all Eurotiomycetes orders and monotypic subclasses as of 2021:

External relationships

The class Eurotiomycetes forms a clade with Lecanoromycetes, the largest lichenized class of fungi.

Taxonomy

As of 2022, the taxonomy of Eurotiomycetes recognizes 5 subclasses, 10 orders, 34 families and 289 valid genera. The families are listed here followed by the number of genera.

Subclass Chaetothyriomycetidae

:Order Chaetothyriales

::Family Chaetothyriaceae – 19 genera

::Family Coccodiniaceae – 4 genera

::Family Cyphellophoraceae – 2 genera

::Family Epibryaceae – 1 genus

::Family Herpotrichiellaceae – 17 genera

::Family Lyrommataceae – 1 genus

::Family Microtheliopsidaceae – 1 genus

::Family Paracladophialophoraceae – 1 genus

::Family Pyrenotrichaceae – 2 genera

::Family Trichomeriaceae (=Strelitzianaceae ) – 9 genera

::Chaetothyriales incertae sedis – 11 genera

:Order Phaeomoniellales

::Family Celotheliaceae (=Phaeomoniellaceae ) – 11 genera

:Order Pyrenulales

::Family Pyrenulaceae – 12 genera

::Pyrenulales incertae sedis – 2 genera

:Order Verrucariales

::Family Adelococcaceae – 3 genera

::Family Sarcopyreniaceae – 1 genera

::Family Verrucariaceae – 52 genera

::Verrucariales incertae sedis – 4 genera

:Chaetothyriomycetidae incertae sedis

::Family Rhynchostomataceae – 2 genera

Subclass Cryptocaliciomycetidae

:Order Cryptocaliciales

::Family Cryptocaliciaceae – 1 genus

Subclass Coryneliomycetidae

:Order Coryneliales

::Family Coryneliaceae – 8 genera

::Family Eremascaceae – 2 genera

Subclass Eurotiomycetidae

:Order Arachnomycetales

::Family Arachnomycetaceae – 2 genera

:Order Eurotiales

::Family Aspergillaceae (=Monascaceae ) – 14 genera

::Family Elaphomycetaceae – 2 genera

::Family Penicillaginaceae – 1 genus

::Family Thermoascaceae – 2 genera

::Family Trichocomaceae – 9 genera

:Order Onygenales

::Family Ajellomycetaceae – 7 genera

::Family Arthrodermataceae – 11 genera

::Family Ascosphaeraceae – 3 genera

::Family Gymnoascaceae – 11 genera

::Family Nannizziopsidaceae – 1 genus

::Family Onygenaceae – 34 genera

::Family Spiromastigaceae – 4 genera

::Onygenales incertae sedis – 3 genera

:Eurotiomycetidae incertae sedis – 5 genera

Subclass Mycocaliciomycetidae

:Order Mycocaliciales

::Family Mycocaliciaceae (=Sphinctrinaceae ) – 7 genera

Subclass Sclerococcomycetidae

:Order Sclerococcales

::Family Dactylosporaceae (=Sclerococcaceae ) – 7 genera

Only one genus, Neocladophialophora, remains incertae sedis within the class.

Nomenclature

The scientific classification for this particular class is particularly tricky, with one particular species having both the anamorph (asexual form), and teleomorph (sexual form) names used in reference to them.

• e.g. anamorph form = Penicillium; teleomorph form = Talaromyces or Eupenicillium.

Morphology

Many members (Eurotiales, Onygenales) produce an enclosed structure cleistothecium within which they produce their spores.

References

External links

• Outline of Ascomycota - 2007