Coniothyrium

{{Short description|Genus of fungi}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Coniothyrium.ilicis.-.lindsey.jpg

| image_alt = A leaf infected with the fungi

| image_caption = Coniothyrium ilicis

| taxon = Coniothyrium

| authority = Corda (1840)

| type_species = Coniothyrium palmarum

| type_species_authority = Corda (1840)

| synonyms_ref =

| synonyms = *Clisosporium Fr. (1819)

• Cyclobium C.Agardh (1821)
• Monoplodia Westend. (1859)
• Coniothyrinula Petr. (1923)

}}

Coniothyrium is a genus of fungi in the family Coniothyriaceae. The genus was circumscribed by Czech mycologist August Carl Joseph Corda in 1840. It was formerly placed in the Phaeosphaeriaceae family until 1983 when the family was established.

The genus are diverse geographically, and have a cosmopolitan distribution across the world.

The etymology of Coniothyrium is derived from New Latin, from coni- (from conus) and thyr- (from Greek thyreos meaning oblong shield, from thyra meaning door) and -ium (ending for a genus).{{cite web |title=Definition of CONIOTHYRIUM |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Coniothyrium |website=www.merriam-webster.com |access-date=31 July 2023 |language=en}}

Coniothyrium palmarum is the type species of the genus Coniothyrium. It is characterised by ostiolate pycnidial (asexual fruiting body) conidiomata, annellidic conidiogenous cells, the absence of conidiophores, and brown, thick-walled, 0- or 1-septate, verrucose conidia. Coniothyrium is similar morphologically to some species in the genus Microsphaeropsis. However, Microsphaeropsis is characterised by the production of phialidic conidiogenous cells with periclinal thickening, and thin-walled, pale greenish brown conidia.

Species Coniothyrium glycines {{Au|(R.B. Stewart) Verkley & Gruyter (2012)}} is known to cause red leaf blotch on Soyabean.{{cite web |last1=Hartman |first1=G. |last2=Murithi |first2=H.M. |title=Coniothyrium glycines (red leaf blotch) |publisher=CABI Compendium |url=https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.1079/cabicompendium.17687 |access-date=29 July 2023 |doi=10.1079/cabicompendium.17687 |date=22 May 2018}} While Coniothyrium fuckelii is also a known plant pathogen (causing stem canker,{{cite book |last1=Kilian |first1=M. |last2=Steiner |first2=U. |title=Encyclopedia of Rose Science |date=2003 |chapter=Disease / Bactericides and Fungicides}}) that has also been known to cause infections in immunocompromised humans.{{cite book |last1=McManus |first1=Dayna S. |title=Side Effects of Drugs Annual |date=2016 |chapter=A Worldwide Yearly Survey of New Data in Adverse Drug Reactions}} Coniothyrium phyllachorae {{Au|Maubl. (1904)}} with other fungus species such as Phyllachora maydis {{Au|Maubl.}} and Monographella maydis {{Au|Müller & Samuels}} are the causes of Latin America tar spot complex in places such as Guatemala, Mexico, Colombia, and El Salvador.{{cite book |last1=Cairns |first1=J.E. |last2=Prasanna |first2=B.M. |title=Advances in Agronomy |date=2012 |chapter=3.2.1 Plant diseases}}

Species Coniothyrium ferrarisianum has been isolated from leaves of Daphne mucronata {{Au|Royle}} in Iran, it was originally isolated from Acer pseudoplatanus {{Au|L.}} in Italy in 1958,{{cite journal |last1=Bestagno-Biga |first1=M.L. |last2=Ciferri |first2=R. |last3=Bestagno |first3=G. |title=Ordinamento artificiale delle specie del genere Coniothyrium. |journal=Sydowia |date=1958 |volume=12 |pages=258–320.}} and it was later found on Vitis vinifera {{Au|L.}} in Canada in 2017,{{cite journal |last1=Ibrahim |first1=A. |last2=Sørensen |first2=D. |last3=Jenkins |first3=H.A. |last4=Ejim |first4=L. |last5=Capretta |first5=A. |last6=Sumarah |first6=M.W. |title=Epoxynemanione A, nemanifuranones AeF, and nemanilactones AeC, from Nemania serpens, an endophytic fungus isolated from Riesling grapevines. |journal=Phytochemistry |date=2017 |volume=140 |pages=16–26.}} as well as Prunus spp. in Germany in 2020,{{cite journal |last1=Bien |first1=S. |last2=Damm |first2=U. |title=Prunus trees in Germany, a hideout of unknown fungi. |journal=Mycological Progress |date=2020 |volume=19 |pages=667–690.}} and also from Olea europaea {{Au|L.}} in South Africa in 2020.{{cite journal |last1=Spies |first1=C.F.J. |last2=Mostert |first2=L. |last3=Carlucci |first3=A. |last4=Moyo |first4=P. |last5=van Jaarsveld |first5=W.J. |last6=du Plessis |first6=I.L. |last7=van Dyk |first7=M. |last8=Halleen |first8=F. |title=Dieback and decline pathogens of olive trees in South Africa. |journal=Persoonia - Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of Fungi |date=2020 |volume=45 |pages=196–220.}}