Phylogenetic placement of the anamorphic tribe Ustilaginoideae (Hypocreales, Ascomycota)

Tribe Ustilaginoideae (Hypocreales, Ascomycetes) is made up of three anamorph genera, Munkia, Neomunkia and Ustilaginoidea. Species of Munkia and Neomunkia develop on the culms of bamboo (Chusquea spp.) and have a neotropical distribution while species of Ustilaginoidea infect the florets of various grasses and are pantropical in distribution. In this study we evaluated the phylogeny of the tribe and assessed hypotheses regarding its affinity to clavicipitalean teleomorphic groups. To support phylogenetic analyses, morphology of representatives of several key species of Ustilaginoideae was examined also. Phylogenetic analyses using sequences of the large subunit of the ribosomal RNA gene suggest that members of Ustilaginoideae are distinct from teleomorphic genera of Clavicipitaceae and that Ustilaginoideae should be recognized as a monophyletic group within Hypocreales. However, phylogenetic analyses did not resolve the placement of Ustilaginoideae in Clavicipitaceae or Hypocreaceae, suggesting that it might be a distinct lineage within Hypocreales. This evaluation supported the monophyly of tribes Balansieae and Clavicipeae in the family Clavicipitaceae.