title: Typification of Smittium, an important genus in the taxonomy of Harpellales.
abstract: The Harpellales genus Smittium is based on a type species, S. arvernense, which was described by Poisson in 1937 without designation of a type specimen. Smittium arvernense has not been reported since its original publication. Because the other 79 species of Smittium cannot be compared to the type species, a lectotype is proposed as well as an epitype for that lectotype that is also the holotype of S. mucronatum. Because Smittium is believed to be polyphyletic these type designations will provide stable application of names and, as well resolved phylogenetic analyses of member species emerge based on morphological and DNA sequence characters, they will provide a foundation for a more robust and revised classification.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7534, USA. licht@ku.edu
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Lichtwardt
authors.forename: Merlin M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016533:Mycological Typing Techniques; D010802:Phylogeny; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009626:Terminology as Topic