Sheareromyces aquibella Abdel-Wahab, Maharachch. & E. B. G. Jones 2026, comb. nov.

A new fungal genus, Sheareromyces aquibella, is introduced to distinguish it from the previously described Aniptodera chesapeakensis. This discovery resolves long-standing taxonomic confusion within the genus Aniptodera, which was found to be polyphyletic. The study reclassifies A. aquibella based on its unique morphological characteristics, such as thin-walled ascospores with bipolar appendages and clavate to balloon-shaped asci, and its exclusive occurrence in freshwater habitats. The research leveraged phylogenetic analysis and morphological comparisons to establish Sheareromyces as a distinct genus, addressing gaps left by previous studies that lacked sequence data for many Aniptodera species.

Dayarathne, M. C., Jones, E. B. G., Bahkali, A. H., Devadatha, B., Hyde, K. D., Abdel-Wahab, M. A., Calabon, M. S., Correia, P., Abdel-Aziz, F. A., Bakhit, M. S., Sakayaroj, J., Prematunga, C., Caeiro, M. F., Azevedo, E., Asghari, R., Apurillo, C. C. S., Bhagya, A. T., Aumentado, H. D., Mukhopadhyay, S., … Pang, K.-L. (2026). Sheareromyces aquibella Abdel-Wahab, Maharachch. & E. B. G. Jones 2026, comb. nov. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.20850255