The Pyronemataceae are a family of fungi in the order Pezizales. It is the largest family of the Pezizales, encompassing 75 genera[Eriksson OE. Outline of Ascomycota. 2006 Myconet 12:1–82.] and approximately 500 species.[Kirk PM, Cannon PF, David J, Stalpers JA. (Eds.) Ainsworth & Bisby's Dictionary of the Fungi (9th edn.). CAB International: Wallingford, UK (2001).] Phylogenetic analyses does not support the prior classifications of this family, and suggest that the family is not monophyletic as it is currently circumscribed.
Morphology
Members of the family are diverse in ascomatal or cleistothecial form. Individual taxa may be sessile (without a stipe) to shortly stipitate, cupulate (cup-shaped), discoid (disc-shaped), pulvinate (cushion-shaped), or with turbinate (turban-shaped) epigeous apothecia. Also, taxa may be sub-
hypogeous to hypogeous with closed, folded, or solid
ascomata.
Apothecia may range in size from less than 1 mm up to in diameter, and may be brightly colored due to
carotenoid pigments.
Genera of the Pyronemataceae lack unifying macroscopic or microscopic characteristics; this lack of uniting characters has led various authors to propose a variety of classification schemes.
[Kimbrough JW. Arguments towards restricting the limits of the Pyronemataceae (Ascomycetes, Pezizales). Memoirs of the New York Botanic Garden. 1989 49:326–335.][Eckblad F-E. The genera of operculate Discomycetes. A re-evaluation of their taxonomy, phylogeny and nomenclature. Norwegian Journal of Botany. 1968 15:1–191.][Korf RP. Synoptic key to the genera of Pezizales. Mycologia. 1972 64:937–94.]
Genera
This list of genera in the family Pyronemataceae. The genus name is followed by the author citation, year of publication, and number of species.
