Rosellinia – a world monograph

Key features of Rosellinia (Xylariaceae, Ascomycetes) are uniperitheciate, subglobose, apically depressed, carbonaceous stromata with papillate ostioles nested in a subiculum and brown, unicellular ascospores, their length ranging from 10 μm to over 150 μm. Seven groups, each comprising morphologically homogeneous species, can be distinguished based on ascospore length: width ratio, synnematous or mononematous anamorph, subiculum extension, and stroma thickness.

142 species are accepted, including 37 new species, one new combination and one validated species name. A dichotomous key allows keying out Rosellinia-like genera; dichotomous keys to morphological groups and species within the genus are presented, along with a synoptic key, and all accepted taxa are illustrated on 72 photographic plates or by line drawings. Many taxa are represented by either few collections or only a single collection and only approximately twenty species by more than ten collections.

Tables display the host range and the geographical distribution of the Rosellinia specimens examined.

Excluded species are listed and selected literature on pathogenic species is reviewed. The reasons to accept Rosellinia, for the time being, as a heterogeneous genus, and not splitting it up, are critically discussed.

This classical, taxonomic monograph addresses all mycologists interested in the morphology and taxonomy of xylariaceous fungi.

Contents:

I. INTRODUCTION 1
1. Historical outline 1
2. Generic delimitation 4
3. Delimitation of groups within Rosellinia 5
4. Species concept 6
II. MATERIAL AND METHODS 8
1. Collections studied 8
2. Methods 8
2.1 Macroscopic examination 8
2.2 Microscopic examination 9
2.3 Measurements 9
2.4 Imaging 9
2.5 Cultures 9
2.6 Statistical analyses 10
III. MORPHOLOGY 11
1. Differential generic characters 11
2. Differential characters at the subgeneric level 11
2.1 Character combination groups 12
3. Specific differential characters within groups 15
IV. KEYS 16
1. Key to genera morphologically similar to Rosellinia 16
2. Key to infrageneric taxa of Rosellinia 17
2.1 R. aquila Group 18
2.2 R. mammaeformis and R. mammoidea Groups 19
2.3 R. emergens Group 26
2.4 R. necatrix Group29
2.5 R. buxi Group30
2.6 R. thelena Group (Subgenus Corrugata) 31
3. Synoptic Key 32
3.1 List of species 32
3.2 Characters 34
V. TAXONOMY 36
1. Generic description 36
2. R. aquila Group 37
3. R. mammaeformis Group 65
4. R. emergens Group 109
5. R. mammoidea Group 156
6. R. necatrix Group 207
7. R. buxi Group 240
8. R. thelena Group (Subgenus Corrugata) 254
9. Annotated list of non-type specimens 268
9.1 Named species 268
9.2 Unnamed Rosellinia species 277
10. Doubtful or excluded species and not verifiable names 280
10.1 Not verifiable names 280
10.2 Doubtful or excluded species 281
VI. DISCUSSION 317
1. Geographical distribution 317
2. Host specificity 319
3. Pathogenic species 321
3.1 Pathogens of conifers, broad-leaf trees, seedlings and evergreen shrubs 322
3.2 Root pathogens of cultivated woody crop plants 323
4. Secondary metabolites 325
5. Rosellinia in culture 325
6. Conclusions 326
VII. References 327
VIII. Appendices 343
1. Distribution of species by continents and countries 343
2. Distribution of species by species group 352
3. Host range by host families 364
4. Host range by species 375
5. Number of stromata and ascospores measured 389
IX. Index 393
1. Fungal names 393
2. Excluded Species 405
3. Host genera 408