Urocystidales

The Urocystidales are an order of fungi within the class Ustilaginomycetes. The order contains 6 families and about 400 genera. They are a sister order to Ustilaginales.

Urocystidales
Urocystis colchici on onions
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Ustilaginomycetes
Order:	Urocystidales R. Bauer & Oberw., 1997[1]
Synonyms[2]
Urocystidiales R. Bauer & Oberw. Urocystales R. Bauer & Oberw.

Urocystidales is also known and classified as the smut fungi.^[3] They are serious plant pathogens, Urocystis, is one of the representative genera of the order, it is an example of a smut genus that has a wide host range. The type species Urocystis occulta (Wallr.) A.A. Fisch. Waldh (1867), was described as a pathogen on rye (Secale cereale).^[4] They are found in marine and terrestrial environments.^[1] The aquatic members of the Doassansiopsis genera are found in the tropics or subtropics.^[5]

Morphology

They are distinguished from other fungi by the existence of haustoria (root-like structure) and pores in the septa of soral hyphae.^[6][7]

Families

It was formed in 1997,^[7] and consisted (then) of 4 families, (Doassansiopsidaceae, Glomosporiaceae, Melanotaeniaceae and Urocystidaceae with 1 genus.^[8]

Later, Melanotaeniaceae was moved to the Ustilaginales order by Begerow et al. in 2006,^[6][9] and others were added such as Fereydouniaceae and Floromycetaceae in 2014 S. Nasr, Soudi, H.D.T. Nguyen, M. Lutz & Piątek, and Mycosyringaceae in 2008.^[6][10]

As accepted by GBIF^[11] and others;^[12]

• Doassansiopsidaceae (19) - only includes Doassansiopsis
• Fereydouniaceae (3) - includes Fereydounia
• Floromycetaceae (21) - includes Antherospora and Floromyces
• Glomosporiaceae (117) - includes Thecaphora (incl. Glomosporium^[13] Sorosporium)
• Mycosyringaceae (5) - includes Mycosyrinx
• Urocystidaceae (228) - includes Flamingomyces, Melanoxa, Melanustilospora, Mundkurella, Tuburcinia, Urocystis, Ustacystis and Vankya

Figures in brackets are approx. how many species per family.^[11]

Note the DNA of family Doassansiopsidaceae has been studied.^[14]

Ecology

The leaves of the water-lily (Nymphaea nouchali) can be affected by the water-born fungi, Doassansiopsis nymphaea.^[15]

The leaves of Caldesia parnassifolia (Alisma reniforme) can be affected by the water-born fungi, Doassansiopsis hydrophila (A.Dietr.) Lavrov (syn Doassansiopsis martianoffiana).^[16]