Paraconiothyrium, a new genus to accommodate the mycoparasite Coniothyrium minitans, anamorphs of Paraphaeosphaeria, and four new species

Coniothyrium-like coelomycetes are drawing attention as biological control agents, potential bioremediators, and producers of antibiotics. Four genera are currently used to classify such anamorphs, namely, Coniothyrium, Microsphaeropsis, Cyclothyrium, and Cytoplea. The morphological plasticity of these fungi, however, makes it difficult to ascertain their best generic disposition in many cases. A new genus, Paraconiothyrium is here proposed to accommodate four new species, P. estuarinum, P. brasiliense, P. cyclothyrioides, and P. fungicola. Their formal descriptions are based on anamorphic characters as seen in vitro. The teleomorphs of these species are unknown, but maximum parsimony analysis of ITS and partial SSU nrDNA sequences showed that they belong in the Pleosporales and group in a clade including Paraphaeosphaeria s. str., the biocontrol agent Coniothyrium minitans, and the ubiquitous soil fungus Coniothyrium sporulosum. Coniothyrium minitans and C. sporulosum are therefore also combined into the genus Paraconiothyrium. The anamorphs of Paraphaeosphaeria michotii and Paraphaeosphaeria pilleata are regarded representative of Paraconiothyrium, but remain formally unnamed. Paraconiothyrium species are phylogenetically distant from typical members of the other coelomycete genera mentioned above