Batcheloromyces species occurring on Proteaceae in South Africa

Batcheloromyces spp. are dematiaceous hyphomycetes which cause leaf spots o n members of the Proteaccae in South Africa. The leaf spots are non-necroti c and composed of numerous sporodochial conidiomata. Conidiogenesis is holo blastic with percurrent, enteroblastic proliferation producing conidiogenou s cells with ragged and irregular annellations. Brown, verrucose, aseptate and multiseptate conidia are produced. Conidia produced percurrently, can r emain adhered to each other in fragile chains, disarticulating to produce a septate conidia or, in some cases, they remain as multiseptate conidia wher e further schizolytic cleavage, at the delimiting septa, may or may not occ ur. This paper compares Batcheloromyces with the morphologically similar St igmina, discusses the current members of Batcheloromyces and introduces the new species B. leucospermi.