The Coniochaeta are a genus of pleomorphic yeasts of the order Coniochaetales and are pathogens of trees. Some species have also been found to form endophytic associations within plants in which they live inside plant tissues but do not actually harm the organism. They can take the form of pink to brown colonies, hyphae, conidiophores or sclerotia. In 2013, the Lecythophora were merged with the Coniochaeta, following suggestions by Ziauddin Khan et al.
Ecology The Coniochaeta have been described as typically associated with wood, water, and soil.Weber E, Go¨rke C, Begerow D (2002) The Lecythophora/Coniochaeta complex II. Molecular studies based on sequences of the large subunit of ribosomal DNA. Nova Hedwigia 74:187–200 However, there is also growing evidence of specialised associations between each species and specific environments, and a suggestion that 4-spored and 8-spored species interact differently with their environments, some species surviving forest fires, which activate their sexual cycle.Coniochaeta extramundana, with a Synopsis of Other Coniochaeta Species. D. P. Mahoney and J. S. LaFavre Mycologia Vol. 73, No. 5 (Sep. - Oct., 1981), pp. 931-952
Medical Issues Other members of the Coniochaeta, most commonly Coniochaeta polymorpha, can cause clinical infections in immunocompromised individuals, which has increased recent interest in the genus.
Species As accepted by Species Fungorum;
Coniochaeta acaciae Coniochaeta africana Coniochaeta albidomucosa Coniochaeta alkalivirens Coniochaeta angustispora Coniochaeta arctispora Coniochaeta arenariae Coniochaeta areolatirubra Coniochaeta arxii Coniochaeta baysunika Coniochaeta boothii Coniochaeta burtii Coniochaeta caffra Coniochaeta calligoni Coniochaeta caryotae Coniochaeta cateniformis Coniochaeta cephalothecoides Coniochaeta cipronana Coniochaeta coluteae Coniochaeta cruciata Coniochaeta cymbiformispora Coniochaeta cypraeispora Coniochaeta dakotensis Coniochaeta deborreae Coniochaeta decumbens Coniochaeta dendrobiicola Coniochaeta detonsa Coniochaeta discoidea Coniochaeta discospora Coniochaeta dumosa Coniochaeta elegans Coniochaeta ellipsoidea Coniochaeta emodensis Coniochaeta endophytica Coniochaeta euphorbiae Coniochaeta extramundana Coniochaeta fasciculata Coniochaeta fibrosae Coniochaeta fodinicola Coniochaeta geophila Coniochaeta gigantospora Coniochaeta gymnosporiae Coniochaeta haloxyli Coniochaeta hansenii Coniochaeta hericium Coniochaeta hoffmannii Coniochaeta iranica Coniochaeta krabiensis Coniochaeta leucoplaca Coniochaeta ligniaria Coniochaeta lignicola Coniochaeta lutea Coniochaeta luteorubra Coniochaeta luteoviridis Coniochaeta magniquadrispora Coniochaeta malacotricha Coniochaeta marina Coniochaeta microspora Coniochaeta mirabilis Coniochaeta mongoliae Coniochaeta montana Coniochaeta multispora Coniochaeta mutabilis Coniochaeta myricariae Coniochaeta navarrae Coniochaeta nepalica Coniochaeta niesslii Coniochaeta nigerrima Coniochaeta nivea Coniochaeta nuciformis Coniochaeta ornata Coniochaeta ostrea Coniochaeta ovata Coniochaeta palaoa Coniochaeta parasitica Coniochaeta perangusta Coniochaeta phalacrocarpa Coniochaeta philocoproides Coniochaeta pilifera Coniochaeta polymegasperma Coniochaeta polymorpha Coniochaeta polysperma Coniochaeta proteae Coniochaeta prunicola Coniochaeta pulveracea Coniochaeta punctulata Coniochaeta renispora Coniochaeta rhopalochaeta Coniochaeta rosae Coniochaeta saccardoi Coniochaeta salicifolia Coniochaeta sarothamni Coniochaeta savoryi Coniochaeta scatigena Coniochaeta simbalensis Coniochaeta sinensis Coniochaeta sordaria Coniochaeta sphaeroidea Coniochaeta subcorticalis Coniochaeta taeniospora Coniochaeta tetraspora Coniochaeta tilakii Coniochaeta trivialis Coniochaeta vagans Coniochaeta velutina Coniochaeta velutinosa Coniochaeta verticillata Coniochaeta vineae Coniochaeta williamsii Coniochaeta xinjiangensis Coniochaeta xylariispora
Former species; C. brassicae = Cladorrhinum olerum, Podosporaceae family C. calva = Lasiosphaeria calva, Lasiosphaeriaceae C. canina = Lecythophora canina, Coniochaetaceae C. capillifera = Hypocopra capillifera, Xylariaceae C. elaeidicola = Stilbohypoxylon elaeidicola, Xylariaceae C. ershadii = Coniolariella ershadii, Xylariaceae C. hypoxylina = Stilbohypoxylon hypoxylinum, Xylariaceae C. gamsii = Coniolariella limonispora, Xylariaceae C. nodulisporioides = Coniocessia nodulisporioides, Coniocessiaceae C. obliquata = Rosellinia obliquata, Xylariaceae C. pilosella = Capronia pilosella, Herpotrichiellaceae C. polyspora = Sordaria polyspora, Sordariaceae C. queenslandiae = Rosellinia queenslandiae, Xylariaceae C. sanguinolenta = Helminthosphaeria sanguinolenta, Helminthosphaeriaceae
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