Pseudomitrulaceace, fam. nov., and three new species of Pseudomitrula expand the known diversity of South American earth tongues.

Pseudomitrula species form an independent clade in Helotiales, leading to the proposal of a new family, Pseudomitrulaceae, based on phylogenetic analysis.

• Why it matters: Understanding the diversity and classification of earth tongue fungi in South America fills a significant gap in mycological knowledge and clarifies their evolutionary relationships.
• What they did: Researchers collected dozens of Pseudomitrula specimens from southern South America, performed phylogenetic reconstruction using an ITS data set, and described three new species with morphological details.
• The result: The study expands the known diversity of Leotiomycetes in South America and establishes Pseudomitrulaceae as a distinct family, highlighting the unique morphology and phylogeny of these fungi.