''Geosmithia'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
anamorph
In mycology, the terms teleomorph, anamorph, and holomorph apply to portions of the life cycles of fungi in the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota:
*Teleomorph: the sexual reproductive stage (morph), typically a fruiting body.
*Anamorph: an ase ...
ic
fungi
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...
of uncertain
familial placement in the order
Hypocreales
The Hypocreales are an order of fungi within the class Sordariomycetes. In 2008, it was estimated that it contained some 237 genera, and 2647 species in seven families. Since then, a considerable number of further taxa have been identified, in ...
. The genus, circumscribed by Australian mycologist John Pitt in 1979,
is widely distributed. A 2008 estimate placed ten species in the genus,
but several new species have since been described.
Thousand cankers disease
Thousand cankers disease (TCD) is a recently recognized disease of certain walnuts (''Juglans'' spp.). The disease results from the combined activity of the walnut twig beetle (''Pityophthorus juglandis'') and a canker producing fungus, '' Geosmi ...
, which affects economically important
black walnut
''Juglans nigra'', the eastern American black walnut, is a species of deciduous tree in the walnut family, Juglandaceae, native to North America. It grows mostly in riparian zones, from southern Ontario, west to southeast South Dakota, south t ...
(''Juglans nigra'') populations in North America, is caused by ''
Geosmithia morbida''.
Species in the genus are generally similar to those in ''
Penicillium
''Penicillium'' () is a genus of ascomycetous fungi that is part of the mycobiome of many species and is of major importance in the natural environment, in food spoilage, and in food and drug production.
Some members of the genus produce pe ...
'', but can be distinguished from them by forming cylindrical
conidia
A conidium ( ; ), sometimes termed an asexual chlamydospore or chlamydoconidium (), is an asexual, non-motile spore of a fungus. The word ''conidium'' comes from the Ancient Greek word for dust, ('). They are also called mitospores due to the ...
from rough-walled
phialide
The phialide ( ; el, phialis, diminutive of phiale, a broad, flat vessel) is a flask-shaped projection from the vesicle (dilated part of the top of conidiophore) of certain fungi. It projects from the mycelium without increasing in length unless ...
s. Additionally, the conidia of ''Geosmithia'' do not have a green color, in contrast to the characteristic blue-grey or green-grey conidia of ''Penicillium''. Some ''Geosmithia'' species have
teleomorphic forms that are classified in the genus ''
Talaromyces
''Talaromyces'' is a genus of fungi in the family Trichocomaceae. Described in 1955 by American mycologist Chester Ray Benjamin, species in the genus form soft, cottony fruit bodies (ascocarps) with cell walls made of tightly interwoven hyphae. ...
''. However, ''Geosmithia'' is a polyphyletic taxon with evolutionary affinities to at least three groups of the euascomycete lineage within the Ascomycota.
The generic name ''Geosmithia'' honors British mycologist
George Smith.
Species
As accepted by
Species Fungorum
''Index Fungorum'' is an international project to index all formal names (scientific names) in the fungus kingdom. the project is based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, one of three partners along with Landcare Research and the Institute of Mi ...
;
*''
Geosmithia brunnea''
*''
Geosmithia carolliae''
*''
Geosmithia cnesini''
*''
Geosmithia eburnea''
*''
Geosmithia emersonii''
*''
Geosmithia eupagioceri''
*''
Geosmithia fassatiae''
*''
Geosmithia flava''
*''
Geosmithia langdonii''
*''
Geosmithia lavendula''
*''
Geosmithia malachitea
''Geosmithia'' is a genus of anamorphic fungi of uncertain familial placement in the order Hypocreales. The genus, circumscribed by Australian mycologist John Pitt in 1979, is widely distributed. A 2008 estimate placed ten species in the genus, ...
''
*''
Geosmithia microcorthyli''
*''
Geosmithia morbida''
*''
Geosmithia namyslowskii''
*''
Geosmithia obscura''
*''
Geosmithia omnicola Pepori''
*''
Geosmithia proliferans''
*''
Geosmithia putterillii
The foamy bark canker is a disease affecting oak trees in California caused by the fungus ''Geosmithia pallida'' and spread by the Western oak bark beetle ('' Pseudopityopthorus pubipennis''). This disease is only seen through the symbiosis of ...
''
*''
Geosmithia rufescens''
*''
Geosmithia swiftii''
*''
Geosmithia tibetensis''
*''
Geosmithia ulmacea''
*''
Geosmithia xerotolerans''
Former species;
* ''G. argillacea'' = ''
Rasamsonia argillacea'' Aspergillaceae family
* ''G. cylindrospora'' = ''
Rasamsonia cylindrospora'' Aspergillaceae
* ''G. pallida'' = ''Geosmithia putterillii''
* ''G. viridis'' = ''
Talaromyces viridulus'' Aspergillaceae
References
External links
*
Hypocreales incertae sedis
Sordariomycetes genera
{{Hypocreales-stub