252 Persoonia – Volume 38, 2017 Paraphaeosphaeria xanthorrhoeae Fungal Planet description sheets 253 Fungal Planet 560 – 20 June 2017 Paraphaeosphaeria xanthorrhoeae Crous, sp. nov. Etymology. Name refers to Xanthorrhoea, the plant genus from which Notes — The genus Paraconiothyrium (based on P. estuari- this fungus was collected. num) was established by Verkley et al. (2004) to accommodate Classification — Didymosphaeriaceae, Pleosporales, Dothi- several microsphaeropsis-like coelomycetes, some of which deomycetes. had proven abilities to act as biocontrol agents of other fungal pathogens. In a recent study, Verkley et al. (2014) revealed Conidiomata erumpent, globose, pycnidial, brown, 80–150 Paraconiothyrium to be paraphyletic, and separated the genus µm diam, with central ostiole; wall of 3–5 layers of brown tex- from Alloconiothyrium, Dendrothyrium, and Paraphaeosphae- tura angularis. Conidiophores reduced to conidiogenous cells. ria. Paraphaeosphaeria xanthorrhoeae resembles asexual Conidiogenous cells lining the inner cavity, hyaline, smooth, morphs of Paraphaeosphaeria, having pycnidial conidiomata ampulliform, phialidic with periclinal thickening or percurrent with percurrently proliferating conidiogenous cells and aseptate, proliferation at apex, 5–8 × 4–6 µm. Conidia solitary, golden brown, roughened conidia. Phylogenetically, it is distinct from brown, ellipsoid with obtuse ends, thick-walled, roughened, (6–) all taxa presently known to occur in the genus, the closest 7–8(–9) × (3–)3.5 µm. species on ITS being Paraphaeosphaeria sporulosa (GenBank Culture characteristics — Colonies flat, spreading, cover- JX496114; Identities = 564/585 (96 %), 4 gaps (0 %)). ing dish in 2 wk at 25 °C, surface folded, with moderate aerial mycelium and smooth margins. On MEA surface dirty white, reverse luteous. On OA surface dirty white with patches of luteous. On PDA surface dirty white, reverse apricot. Typus. AUSTRALIA, Western Australia, Denmark, Lights Beach, on Xan- thorrhoea sp. (Xanthorrhoeaceae), 19 Sept. 2015, P.W. Crous (holotype CBS H-23120, culture ex-type CPC 29244 = CBS 142164; ITS, LSU, rpb2, tef1, and tub2 sequences GenBank KY979738, KY979793, KY979845, KY979888, and KY979909, MycoBank MB820931). Colour illustrations. Dead Xanthorrhoea sp.; conidiomata sporulating on PNA and OA (scale bars = 150 µm); conidiogenous cells and conidia (scale bars = 10 µm). Pedro W. Crous & Johannes Z. Groenewald, Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, P.O. Box 85167, 3508 AD Utrecht, The Netherlands; e-mail: [email protected] & [email protected] Michael J. Wingfield, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa; e-mail: [email protected] Treena I. Burgess & Giles E.St.J. Hardy, Centre for Phytophthora Science and Management, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia; e-mail: [email protected] & [email protected] © 2017 Naturalis Biodiversity Center & Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute.