1a and b). Peridium 250–310 μm thick, to 600 μm thick near the apex, thinner at the base, comprising three types of cells; outer cells

pseudoparenchymatous, small heavily pigmented thick-walled cells of textura epidermoidea, cells 0.6–1 × 6–10 μm diam., cell wall 5–9 μm thick; cells near the substrate less pigmented, composed of cells of textura prismatica, cell walls 1–3(−5) μm thick; inner cells less pigmented, comprised of hyaline to pale brown thin-walled cells, merging with pseudoparaphyses (Fig. 1c, PXD101 research buy d and e). Hamathecium of dense, long trabeculate pseudoparaphyses, ca. 1 μm broad, embedded in mucilage, hyaline, anastomosing and sparsely septate. Asci 140–220 × 13–17 μm selleckchem (\( \barx = 165.3 \times 15.6 \mu \textm

\), n = 10), 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindrical, with short pedicels, 15–25(−40) μm long, with a large and conspicuous ocular chamber (Fig. 1f and g). Ascospores 17.5–25 × 12.5–15(−20) μm (\( \barx = 21.5 \times 13.6 \mu \textm \), n = 10), uniseriate to partially overlapping, ovoid or ellipsoidal, hyaline, 1-septate, not constricted at the septum, smooth-walled (Fig. 1h and i). Anamorph: none reported. Material examined: INDIA, Indian Ocean, Malvan (Maharashtra), on intertidal wood of Avicennia alba Bl., 30 Oct. 1981 (IMI 297769, holotype). Notes Morphology Acrocordiopsis was formally established by Borse and Hyde (1989) as a monotypic genus represented by A. patilii based on its “conical or semiglobose superficial carbonaceous ascomata, trabeculate pseudoparaphyses, cylindrical, bitunicate, 8-spored asci, and hyaline, 1-septate, obovoid or ellipsoid ascospores”. Acrocordiopsis patilii was first collected from mangrove wood (Indian Ocean) as a marine fungus, and a second marine Acrocordiopsis species was reported subsequently from Philippines (Alias et al. 1999). Acrocordiopsis is

assigned to Melanommataceae (Melanommatales sensu Barr 1983) based on its ostiolate Methane monooxygenase ascomata and trabeculate pseudoparaphyses (Borse and Hyde 1989). Morphologically, Acrocordiopsis is similar to Astrosphaeriella sensu stricto based on the conical ascomata and the brittle, carbonaceous peridium composed of thick-walled black cells with rows of palisade-like parallel cells at the rim area. Ascospores of Astrosphaeriella are, however, elongate-fusoid, usually brown or reddish brown and surrounded by a gelatinous sheath when young; as such they are readily distinguishable from those of Acrocordiopsis. A new family (Acrocordiaceae) was introduced by Barr (1987a) to accommodate Acrocordiopsis. This proposal, however, has been rarely followed and Jones et al. (2009) assigned Acrocordiopsis to Melanommataceae. Phylogenetic study Acrocordiopsis patilii nested within an unresolved clade within Pleosporales (Suetrong et al. 2009).