Annabella australiensis gen. & sp. nov. (Helotiales, Cordieritidaceae) from South Australian mangroves

A new genus of helotialean fungi, Annabella gen. nov. (Cordieritidaceae), is described to accommodate Annabella australiensis sp. nov. This species was collected on attached decaying wood of Avicennia marina, a common mangrove species found in protected waters of southern Australia. Annabella is distinctive among Cordieritidaceae in having relatively small perithecioid hyaline to yellowish apothecia and by the absence of an ionomidotic reaction. The apothecial shape and size of Annabella is most similar to Skyttea. The molecular phylogenetic analysis of a concatenated dataset of three ribosomal nuclear loci confirms the placement of Annabella within Cordieritidaceae, as a sister clade to Skyttea.