In 1987, Kohlmeyer & Volkmann-Kohlmeyer established the genus Swampomyces to accommodate Swampomyces armeniacus that is characterized by clypeate ascomata, apricot centrum, cylindrical asci and one-septate ascospores that are hyaline to yellowish, appearing light apricot-colored in mass.[9] Another species, Swampomyces triseptatusK.D. Hyde & Nakagiri, was described from mangroves in Australia (Hyde & Nakagiri 1992).[10] Then in 2001, Abdel-Wahab et al. described two new species of Swampomyces from Red Sea mangroves in Egypt, S. aegyptiacus and S. clavatisporus.[12][13]
In 2007, Schoch et al. suggested that S. aegyptiacus and S. clavatisporus possibly belonged to a different genus Fulvocentrum.[14] Schoch also agreed that Swampomyces and Etheirophora were in the same clade.[15] This was agreed in further studies.[3] Genus Etheirophora had been placed in family Lophiostomataceae,[16] before family Etheirophoraceae was published in 2014.[3]
The family (in 2023) includes the genera Etheirophora (E. bijubata, E. blepharospora, E. unijubata) and Swampomyces (S. armeniacus and S. triseptatus) (Jones et al. 2014).[17] However, the genera Etheirophora and Swampomyces are not congeneric (belonging to the same genus) and they form a sister clade with Falcocladium species (Falcocladiaceae family, Falcocladiales order) in an unsupported clade in Hypocreomycetidae,[17] order incertae sedis (Maharachchikumbura et al. (2015).[18] Subsequently, Jones et al. in 2015, introduced order Torpedosporales to accommodate the families Etheirophoraceae, Juncigenaceae and Torpedosporaceae. The order evolved with a stem age of 171–241 MYA (Hongsanan et al. 2017,[19] Hyde et al. 2017a).[20]
They are ecological and economic significant as shown as the host-specificity of Keissleriella blephorospora = Etheirophora blepharospora,[2] occurring on Rhizophora species (of Mangrove trees) in Hawaii has been reported and the species is involved in nutrient cycling (Osorio et al. 2016).[5][21]
Description
Fungal members of Etheirophoraceae have a sexual morph that has an ascomata (fruiting body) that is subglobose to globose or pyriform (pear-like), in shape and light brown to dark brown or black in colour. It is immersed (underwater), oblique or vertical to the host surface, clypeate (covered with a shield-like growth), coriaceous (leather-like, stiff but flexible), ostiolate (having an ostiole, a small hole or opening), periphysate (having short, thread-like filaments that line the opening) and papillate (covered with papillae, small growths). The peridium is composed of several layers of brown to dark brown cell layers of 'textura angularis' (a parenchyma-like tissue of very densely packed cells that appear angular in cross section). The paraphyses (supporting structures) are numerous, mostly unbranched and attached to the apex of the ascomatal cavity. They are embedded in a gelatinous matrix. They have an asci that is 8- spored, unitunicate ('single-walled'), cylindrical to oblong in shape, pedicellate (having a small stalk used to support other structures), J− and persistent. The ascospores are 1–2-seriate (arranged in rows), hyaline (transparent,glass-like) and ellipsoidal in shape. They have 1 to many septate (partitions), constricted at the septa, with a filamentous appendage at one or both ends. The appendages are bristle-like, origin undetermined. The asexual morph is yet undetermined (adapted from Jones et al. 2014).[4]
For example, Etheirophora bijubata was found on intertidal wood in the Pacific Ocean (near Kauai, Hawaii).[25]Etheirophora blepharospora, Etheirophora bijubata and Etheirophora unijubata have all been found near the Hawaiian Islands (of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui and Oahu).[2][26] Also Etheirophora bijubata and Etheirophora blepharospora have been found in intertidal mangrove forests within Thailand.[27][28] Also Etheirophora blepharospora has been found with other fungi such as Capillataspora corticola, Caryosporella rhizophorae, Hydrophloeda rhizospora and Rhizophila marina on Rhizophora (Mangroves) in Hong Kong and the South China Sea.[24]
^ abcdefKohlmeyer, Jan; Volkmann-Kohlmeyer, Brigitte (June 1989). "Hawaiian marine fungi, including two new genera of Ascomycotina". Mycological Research. 92 (4): 410–421. doi:10.1016/S0953-7562(89)80185-6.
^ abcKohlmeyer, J.; Volkmann-Kohlmeyer, B. (1987). "Marine fungi from Belize with a description of two new genera of ascomycetes". Bot. Mar. 30 (3): 195–204. doi:10.1515/botm.1987.30.3.195.
^ abcHyde, Kevin D.; Nakagiri, A. (1992). "Intertidal fungi from Australia. The genus Swampomyces including S. triseptatus sp. nov". Sydowia. 44: 122–130.
^ abAbdel-Wahab, M.A.; El-Sharouny, H.M.; Jones, E.B.G. (2001). "Two new intertidal lignicolous Swampomyces species from Red Sea mangroves in Egypt". Fungal Divers. 8: 35–40.
^ abAbdel-Wahab, Mohamed A.; Gareth Jones, E. B.; Bahkali, Ali H. A.; El-Gorban, Abdallah M. (January 2018). "Marine fungi from Red Sea mangroves in Saudi Arabia with Fulvocentrum rubrum sp. nov. (Torpedosporales, Ascomycota)". Nova Hedwigia. 108 (3): 365–377. doi:10.1127/nova_hedwigia/2018/0511.
^ abJones, E.B.G.; Suetrong, S.; Cheng, W.H.; Rungjindamai, N.; Sakayaroj, J.; Boonyuen, N.; Somrothipol, S.; Abdel-Wahab, M.A.; Pang, K.L. (2014). "An additional fungal lineage in the Hypocreomycetidae (Falcocladium species) and the taxonomic re-evaluation of Chaetosphaeriachaetosa and Swampomyces species, based on morphology, ecology and phylogeny". Cryptogamie, Mycologie. 35 (2): 119–138. doi:10.7872/crym.v35.iss2.2014.119.
^Maharachchikumbura, Sajeewa S. N.; Hyde, Kevin D.; Jones, E. B. Gareth; McKenzie, E. H. C.; Bhat, Jayarama D.; Dayarathne, Monika C.; Huang, Shi-Ke; Norphanphoun, Chada; Senanayake, Indunil C. (2016-06-03). "Families of Sordariomycetes". Fungal Diversity. 79 (1): 1–317. doi:10.1007/s13225-016-0369-6. ISSN1560-2745. S2CID256070646.
^Hongsanan, S.; Maharachchikumbura, S. S.; Hyde, Kevin D.; Samarakoon, M. C.; Jeewon, R.; Zhao, Q. (2017). "An updated phylogeny of sordariomycetes based on phylogenetic and molecular clock evidence". Fungal Divers. 84: 25–41. doi:10.1007/s13225-017-0384-2.
^Hyde, Kevin D.; Maharachchikumbura, S. S.; Hongsanan, S.; Samarakoon, M. C.; Lücking, R.; Pem, D. (2017). "The ranking of fungi: a tribute to David L. Hawksworth on his 70th birthday". Fungal Divers. 84: 1–23. doi:10.1007/s13225-017-0383-3.
^ abOsorio, J. Alexander; De Beer, Z. Wilhelm; Wingfield, Michael J.; Roux, Jolanda (2016). "Ophiostomatoid fungi associated with mangroves in South Africa, including Ophiostoma palustre sp. nov". Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. 109 (12): 1555–1571. doi:10.1007/s10482-016-0757-7. hdl:2263/60703. PMID27562287.