Papulosa amerospora accommodated in a new family (Papulosaceae, Sordariomycetes, Ascomycota) inferred from morphological and molecular data

To investigate the systematic position of the unitunicate pyremomycetePapulosa amerospora, we performed phylogenetic analyses of SSU rDNA sequences from 37 ascomycetes. Among these sequences were some new ones from taxa that might be related toPapulosa: Hyponectriaceae (Hyponectria buxi, Monographella nivalis), Phyllachorales (Phyllachora graminis), and Xylariales (Barrmaelia melanotes, Poronia punctata). Our results showed 100% bootstrap support for a clade of all unitunicate pyrenomycetes, the class Sordariomycetes. We also found strong support for recognizing the subclasses Hypocreomycetidae and Xylariomycetidae. The remaining taxa, belonging to subclass Sordariomycetidae, appeared as a polyphyletic group in one analysis, but was monophyletic when shorter SSU sequences were used.Barrmaelia melanotes, Poronia punctata, Hyponectria buxi, andMonographella nivalis are members of Xylariomycetidae, but we could not determine whetherMonographella should be included in Hyponectriaceae. The new family Papulosaceae is erected forPapulosa on molecular and morphological bases, but the exact systematic position ofPapulosa within subclass Sordariomycetidae is still uncertain, since the genus did not cluster consistently with any of the included taxa. Phyllachorales are not closely related to Diaporthales, as previously suggested.