Research report: Taxonomy and molecular evaluation of the Halosphaeriaceae (Microascales, Hypocreomycetidae)

A molecular and morphological re-evaluation recognizes 77 genera and 202 species in the marine fungal family Halosphaeriaceae, adding seven new genera and one new species. The study also establishes 14 new taxonomic combinations within the family. Its findings revise the classification of Halosphaeriaceae, a group in the order Microascales and class Hypocreomycetidae, and estimate that the lineage originated in the Paleozoic approximately 545 million years ago.

Researchers combined phylogenetic analyses of the 18S and 28S regions of ribosomal DNA with four protein-coding genes: RPB1, RPB2, TEF1-alpha and MCM7. They also conducted comprehensive morphological comparisons to evaluate the family’s classification. This combined approach assessed relationships using multiple genetic markers while comparing the organisms’ structural characteristics, rather than relying on either molecular or morphological evidence alone.

The revision introduces the genera Neoaniptodera, Neogesasha, Neohalosarpheia, Pangia, Remisporiopsis, Sheareromyces and Shiiraspora. It also describes Ocostaspora japonica as a new species. The 14 new combinations are Halosarpheia australiensis, Halosphaeriopsis alopallonella, Neoaniptodera juncicola, Neogesasha mangrovei, Neohalosarpheia marina, Pangia limnetica, Remisporiopsis macrocephala, Remisporiopsis quadri-remis, Remisporiopsis spitsbergenensis, Remisporiopsis stellatus, Remisporiopsis submersa, Sheareromyces aquibella, Shiiraspora salsuginosa and Thalassogena unicellularis.

The authors note that the family’s original classification relied on morphology because it was introduced before molecular phylogenetic studies were available. Divergent-time estimation based on the combined 18S, 28S, RPB1, RPB2, TEF1-alpha and MCM7 sequences placed the origin of Halosphaeriaceae in the Paleozoic at about 545 million years ago. This is an estimate of the family’s inferred lineage origin, not the age of its individual living species.

Halosphaeriaceae has a worldwide distribution and is commonly found in marine habitats. Its members occupy different substrates and are important in the recycling of complex organic material; they are often early colonizers of wood in marine environments. The family is also a source of a wide range of enzymes and antimicrobials.

Subject of Research: Taxonomic and phylogenetic revision of the marine fungal family Halosphaeriaceae

Article Title: Taxonomy and molecular evaluation of the Halosphaeriaceae (Microascales, Hypocreomycetidae)

Article References: Dayarathne, M. C., Jones, E. B. G., Bahkali, A. H., Devadatha, B., Hyde, K. D., Abdel-Wahab, M. A., Calabon, M. S., Correia, P., Abdel-Aziz, F. A., Bakhit, M. S., Sakayaroj, J., Prematunga, C., Caeiro, M. F., Azevedo, E., Asghari, R., Apurillo, C. C. S., Bhagya, A. T., Aumentado, H. D., Mukhopadhyay, S., … Pang, K.-L. (2026). Taxonomy and molecular evaluation of the Halosphaeriaceae (Microascales, Hypocreomycetidae). MycoKeys, 135, 1-202. https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.135.187540

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DOI: 10.3897/mycokeys.135.187540

Keywords: Halosphaeriaceae, marine fungi, fungal taxonomy, phylogenetics, ribosomal DNA, molecular evolution, new species, marine ecology, Taxonomy, molecular, evaluation, Microascales