Phaeonectriella R. A. Eaton & E. B. G. Jones, Nova Hedwigia 19 (3–4): 779 (1971)

Description.

Saprobic on wood. Sexual morph. Ascomata globose, solitary, immersed in the wood, membranous, hyaline to pale yellow, long periphysate necks. Asci unitunicate, clavate. 8 - spored, lacking paraphyses. Ascospores 2 - septate, brown. Asexual morph. Undetermined.

Type species.

Phaeonectriella lignicola R. A. Eaton & E. B. G. Jones, Nova Hedwigia 19 (3–4): 779 (1971).

Notes.

Phaeonectriella is like Aniptodera, as both genera possess hyaline ascomata with long periphysate necks, asci with an apical pore and catenophyses, however they differ in that ascospores in Phaeonectriella are brown and lack polar hamate appendages that form long viscous threads (Jones 1995).

Phaeonectriella species differ in their ascospore measurements, presence of polar appendages and ecologically: P. lignicola known on wood from brackish water, ascospores 26–30 × 9.5–11 µm, lacking polar appendages; P. appendiculata, freshwater on wood, ascospores 32–42 × 10–12 µm with polar appendages; and P. alba on Phragmites australis stems in freshwater, ascospores 25–33 × 8–13 µm lacking polar appendages (Abdel-Aziz et al. 2019). Phaeonectriella appendiculata is the only species with appendaged ascospores. Ascospore appendages were not mentioned in the holotype of P. lignicola nor in the Taiwanese specimen (Eaton and Jones 1970; Jones 1995). However, a specimen from Mauritius identified as P. lignicola by Hyde et al. (1999 b) did produce polar appendages.

Molecular evaluation.

Phaeonectriella alba grouped consistently with the type species P. lignicola in the Halosphaeriaceae with strong support in all analyses, with 100 % statistical support in ML / MP and BYPP (Fig. 4). Divergence-time analysis places the crown of Phaeonectriella in the Miocene (~ 9 MYA, 95 % CI: 4.9–18.3 MYA), supporting its recognition as a distinct and cohesive genus within the family (Fig. 5). However, Phaeonectriella appendiculata needs to be recollected and sequenced to determine if it belongs in the genus.