Barbosa, Flavia Rodrigues, Luis Fernando Pascholati Gusmão, Rafael Castañeda Ruíz, Marcos Fabio Oliveira Marques & Leonor Costa Maia. Conidial fungi from the semi-arid Caatinga biome of Brazil. New species Deightoniella rugosa & Diplocladiella cornitumida with new records for the neotropics. Mycotaxon 102: 39-50. 2007.

ABSTRACT: Two interesting fungi collected during investigations of microfungi on dead plant material in a semi-arid region of northeast Brazil are herein described and illustrated. Deightoniella rugosa is distinguished by oval to ovate, 4-septate conidia with rugose to tuberculate, dark brown basal and suprabasal cells and subhyaline to hyaline basal cells. Diplocladiella cornitumida is distinguished by asymmetrical conidia; one arm is somewhat conical, whereas the other arm is irregularly conical, tumid and brown. Illustrations of conidia of recently published Deightoniella and Diplocladiella species are provided. A key to Deightoniella species published since the most recent treatment of the genus by M.B. Ellis in 1976 is presented, and 16 species of conidial fungi are reported as first records for the neotropics.

KEYWORDS: systematics, tropical fungi, hyphomycetes