Why morphology matters: the negative consequences of hasty descriptions of putative novelties in asexual ascomycetes

• DOI: 10.1186/s43008-021-00073-z
• Publication Date: 2021-09-22T23:09:22Z
• Authors: Ondřej Koukol; Gregorio Delgado
• Keywords: Hyphomycetes; Morphology; Taxonomic rank

ABSTRACT Recent progress in the discovery of fungal diversity has been enabled by intensive mycological surveys centres global biodiversity. Descriptions new species have almost routinely based on phenotypic studies coupled with single or multigene phylogenetic analyses DNA sequence data. However, high accessibility sequencing services together an increasing amount available molecular data are providing easier and less critical support for taxonomic novelties without carefully studying phenotype, particularly morphology. As a result, accelerated rate descriptions unfortunately accompanied numerous cases overlooking previously described well documented species, some them that known more than century. Here, we critically examined recent literature, data, detected multiple issues putative asexual Ascomycota traditionally as hyphomycetes. In order to fix these problems, three combinations within genera Pleopunctum , Camposporium Sporidesmium two names proposed. Moreover, genera, Aquidictyomyces Fusiconidium Pseudohelminthosporium nine reduced synonymy. The examples outlined here clearly show relevance morphology modern importance stringent ‘quality controls’ during biodiversity documenting extensive speedy manner.