A monographic revision of the genus Myriosclerotinia

Abstract

The genus Myriosclerotinia (Helotiales, Sclerotiniaceae) is redefined to include only those species producing tuberoid sclerotia within the culms of host plants, not producing a disseminative conidial anamorph, producing a Myrioconium microconidial anamorph within locules in the culms of host plants, and developing an apothecial microanatomy characterized by an ectal excipulum composed of inflated angular to globose cells and a medullary excipulum of granularly roughened prosenchymatous cells. The taxonomy and nomenclature of 34 epithets which have been referred to Myriosclerotinia, or which have been suspected by us or by other authors as possibly belonging there, are reviewed. Nine species are retained in the genus: M. scirpicola, M. caricis-ampullaceae, M. curreyana, M. dennisii, M. duriaeana, M. juncifida, and M. longisclerotialis; M. sulcatula (=M. sulcata (Whetzel) Buchw.) and M. luzulae are described as new. Eight epithets are placed in synonymy under accepted species, 5 are treated as imperfectly known, and 12 epithets are excluded and either assigned to other genera or accepted in generic accommodations made by other authors.