Phylogenetic significance of the pseudoparaphyses in Loculoascomycete taxonomy

The ontogeny of the ascostroma, in particular the centrum structures, has always been regarded as an important criterion in the subdivision of the Loculoascomycetideae (ascomycetous fungi). However, the use of pseudoparaphysis type, cellular or trabeculate, to classify taxa at the ordinal level has been contentious due to the lack of information about their evolution. To determine the phylogenetic significance of the pseudoparaphysis and its variants, DNA sequences of the 18S nuclear rRNA genes from representatives of the orders Pleosporales and Melanommatales were obtained and analyzed. Species with pseudoparaphyses formed a monophyletic group with high statistical confidence. The monophyly of a distinct lineage of species with cellular pseudoparaphyses (the order Pleosporales) is rejected. Likewise, monophyly of a distinct lineage of species with trabeculate pseudoparaphyses (the order Melanommatales) is rejected also. The Pleosporales and Melanommatales are, therefore, not natural orders. The Lophiostomataceae, Phaeosphaeriaceae, and Melanommataceae are most probably polyphyletic, as is the genus Massarina.