Podospora austrohemisphaerica, a new heterothallic ascomycete from dung

A new species, Podospora austrohemisphaerica, is described from the dung of wild and domesticated herbivores. Twenty-five records are cited, including 23 from Argentina, New Zealand and Australia and 2 from England. The species is characterized by a Phialophora anamorph, perithecia with rigid neck hairs and large ascospores with gelatinous sheaths and multiple caudae both at the spore extremities and at the proximal end of the lower cell (= pedicel). Teleomorph descriptions from lab-incubated field dung are augmented with teleomorph and anamorph descriptions from ascospore-initiated axenic cultures. Ascospore germination, sexual compatibility, intraspecific variation, distribution, and relationships to other species of Podospora are discussed.