Alveariospora, a new anamorphic genus from trichomes of Dimorphandra mollis in Brazil

A dematiaceous fungus associated with trichomes on leaflets of Dimorphandra mollis was collected during a survey of fungi associated with the genus Dimorphandra (Fabaceae). The host tree is endemic to the Brazilian Cerrado. Although widely distributed there, this plant has been neglected in mycological studies, since no fungus has ever been recorded in association with it. The new fungus produces large alveariform (skep or beehive-shaped), muriform, dictyosporous, distoseptate, verruculose conidia from large, thickened, dark washer-like conidiogenous loci. Among previously described anamorphic genera, this fungus is somewhat similar to Annellophragmia, Annellosympodia, Briansuttonia, Dictyospiropes, and Veracruzomyces as well as Spiropes dictyosporus but has some significant differences from those taxa. Hence, the new genus Alveariospora (type species: A. distoseptata sp. nov.) is proposed for this fungus.