Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 22, 2026

Leotiomyceta

Leotiomyceta represents all the filamentous ascomycete fungi (Pezizomycotina), excluding the classes Pezizomycetes and Orbiliomycetes. It is well supported in several studies comparing DNA sequences in fungi. It has originally been proposed as a superclass but later was proposed as a rankless taxon for any well supported group above class. Rankless taxa do not strictly follow the rules for taxonomic classifications in plants and fungi (ICBN) and therefore these names are informal, although they appear to reflect natural groups.

Last revised
Jun 22, 2026
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≈ 1 min
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Leotiomyceta
Leotia viscosa found in West Lebanon, New Hampshire
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Clade: Saccharomyceta
Subdivision: Pezizomycotina
Clade: Leotiomyceta
O.E. Erikss. & Winka 1997
Unranked taxa and classes

Leotiomyceta represents all the filamentous ascomycete fungi (Pezizomycotina), excluding the classes Pezizomycetes and Orbiliomycetes. It is well supported in several studies comparing DNA sequences in fungi.12 It has originally been proposed as a superclass3 but later was proposed as a rankless taxon for any well supported group above class (together with Saccharomyceta, Dothideomyceta, and Sordariomyceta4). Rankless taxa do not strictly follow the rules for taxonomic classifications in plants and fungi (ICBN) and therefore these names are informal, although they appear to reflect natural groups.

References

References

  1. James, Timothy Y.; et al. (2006). "Reconstructing the early evolution of Fungi using a six-gene phylogeny". Nature. 443 (7113): 818–822. Bibcode:2006Natur.443..818J. doi:10.1038/nature05110. PMID 17051209. S2CID 4302864.
  2. Spatafora, J. W.; et al. (2006). "A five-gene phylogeny of Pezizomycotina". Mycologia. 98 (6): 1018–1028. doi:10.3852/mycologia.98.6.1018. PMID 17486977.
  3. Eriksson OE, Winka K, 1997. Supraordinal taxa of Ascomycota. Myconet 1, 1–16.
  4. Schoch, C.L.; Wang, Z.; Townsend, J.P.; Spatafora, J.W. (2009). "Geoglossomycetes cl. Nov., Geoglossales ord. Nov. and taxa above class rank in the Ascomycota Tree of Life". Persoonia – Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of Fungi. 22: 129–138. doi:10.3767/003158509x461486. PMC 2776753. PMID 19915689.