Hemicarpenteles

The genus Hemicarpenteles was created by Sarbhoy & Elphick (1968) and H. paradoxus was designated as type (IMI [117502.sup.T] = CBS [793.68.sup.T]). This species is characterised by the presence of an Aspergillus anamorph and sclerotioid ascomata (Fig. 5). This unique combination led to the proposition of a new genus. If only ascoma development and characteristics were considered, then H. paradoxus is most similar to Eupenicillium, because both genera form sclerotioid cleistothecia that ripen from the centre outwards (Sarbhoy & Elphick 1968, Pitt 1980, Stolk & Samson 1983). Figure 1 shows the phylogenetic positioning of H. paradoxus in the genus Penicillium. The placement of this species in Penicillium is remarkable, since this species has an Aspergillus anamorph. The positioning of H. paradoxus in Penicillium is also supported by analysis of the ITS and D1/D2 regions of the 28S rDNA and partial calmodulin and ([beta]-tubulin data (Peterson 2000a, 2008) and the name Penicillium paradoxum will therefore be proposed (R.A. Samson, unpubl. data). The placement of an Aspergillustype anamorph in the genus Penicillium might be confusing, when using solely phenotypic characters for identification. Three other species are described in Hemicarpenteles: H. acanthosporus, H. ornatus and H. thaxteri. The former species was transferred to Neocarpenteles acanthosporus (Udagawa & Uchiyama 2002) and phylogenetic studies showed that this species is related to Aspergillus section Clavati (Tamura et al. 2000, Varga et al. 2007, Peterson 2000b, 2008). Hemicarpenteles ornatus and H. thaxteri are currently classified in Sclerocleista (Fig. 1, clade 7) (Pitt et al. 2000).

Thysanophora

Thysanophora was proposed by Kendrick (1961), based on Haplographium penicillioides. Haplographium penicillioides was transferred to Thysanophora because this species produces conidia from phialides in a basipetal succession and in dry chains, while Haplographium species produce ameroconidia in slime. Roumeguere (1890) noted in his description of H. penicillioides that this species also forms Penicillium-Wke conidiophores ("l'appareil fructifere ressemble a celui d'un Penicillium''). Preuss' description of three new Penicillium species (P finitimum, P. flexuosum and P fuscipes) in 1851 from pine needles might be the first report of members Thysanophora. The habitat and descriptions certainly indicate this placement, but unfortunately, no type specimens were maintained (Kendrick 1961).

Thysanophora species produce dark coloured colonies, have dark and stout conidiophores and the majority of species have secondary growth of the stipe by means of the proliferation of an apical penicillius (Fig. 6). Based on the combined RPB1, RPB2, Tsr1 and Cct8 data, it is clear that members of the genus Thysanophora belong to Penicillium. Members of this genus form a separate clade within this genus (Figs 1, 7), confirming earlier results using rDNA sequences (Iwamoto et al. 2002, Peterson & Sigler 2002). Although stipe pigmentation of Thysanophora species is brown, this feature is thus not a useful phylogenetic character for separating this genus from Penicillium (Iwamoto et al. 2002). Melanised conidiophores appear in two separated lineages in Penicillium, namely in Thysanophora, and in a second lineage centered on P. stolkiae (Peterson & Sigler 2002). Another characteristic of Thysanophora is the secondary growth of the...