Abstract:
Morphology, phylogeny, and molecular clock analyses were carried out on
Savoryellaceae in order to understand the placements of taxa in this family. Ascotaiwania
and Neoascotaiwania formed a well-supported separate clade in the phylogeny of
concatenated partial SSU, LSU, TEF, and RPB2 gene data. These two genera share
similar morphological features, especially in their asexual morphs, indicating that
they are congeneric. Hence, we synonymize Neoascotaiwania under Ascotaiwania.
Ascotaiwania hughesii (and its asexual morph, Helicoon farinosum) and Monotosporella
setosa grouped in a clade sister to Pleurotheciales and are excluded from Ascotaiwania
which becomes monophyletic. A novel genus Helicoascotaiwania is introduced to
accommodate Ascotaiwania hughesii and its asexual morph, Helicoon farinosum.
A novel species, Savoryella yunnanensis is introduced from a freshwater habitat in
Yunnan Province, China. Comprehensive descriptions and illustrations are provided for
selected taxa in this family. In addition, we provide evolutionary divergence estimates for
Savoryellomycetidae taxa and major marine based taxa to support our phylogenetic and
morphological investigations. The taxonomic placement of these marine-based taxa is
briefly discussed. Our results indicate that the most basal group of marine-based taxa
are represented within Lulworthiales, which diverged from ancestral Sordariomycetes
around 149 Mya (91–209) and Savoryellomycetidae around 213 Mya (198–303).
