Aschersonia sclerotioides P. Henn., Hedwigia 146 (1902) Aschersonia pisiformis Pat., Bull. Soc. Myc. France 32: 59 (1906)

Teleomorph state: Moelleriella reineckeana (Henn.) P. Chaverri, M. Liu & K.T. Hodge

Specimens were found on the under and upper sides of leaves of forest plants and often along the mid-vein and petioles. Hosts are (probably) scale insects (Coccoidea). Stroma, hemispherical (conico- pulvinate to pulvinate in immature specimens), moderately hard, consisting of densely interwoven hyphae, up to 4 mm diam., ca. 1-2.5 mm high, when fresh, orange to brownish orange; conidiomata pycnidial, embedded in stroma, circular, ovoid, orifices often blocked with pale conidia, 100-250 µm diam.; paraphyses absent; conidiophores phialidic, solitary, irregular, or verticillate, bearing whorls of 2-3 phialides, phialides slender, up to 25 µm long, ca. 1.25 µm wide; conidia fusoid to broadly fusoid, ends tapering 7.5-10 x 2.5-4 µm.   Conidia will germinate within 24 h on PDA. Colonies are slow-growing 6 mm diam. and producing conidia after ca. 4 wk on PDA at 20oC. Colonies compact, pale yellow and surrounded by whitish slight hypothallus, spore mass yellow to orange-yellow spreading over the stroma.   This species has a wide distribution from the Indian Ocean as far west as Madagascar (but apparently not continental Africa) into the Pacific Ocean (north to Japan and east to Tahiti). It has also been recorded from Australia. This was discussed by Petch (1921) and Mains (1959).   Collections in Thailand have been from Doi Inthanon National Park in the far north as far south as Khao Pu - Khao Ya National Park. Collections have been made throughout the year. To date there have been no records from monocotyledonous plants (eg. bamboo). Collections have been made from fruits such as guava, lychee and rose apple.

Mains, E.B. (1959). North American species of Aschersonia parasitic on Aleyrodidae. Journal of Insect Pathology 1: 43-47.   Petch, T. (1921). Studies in entomogenous fungi: II. The genera Hypocrella and Aschersonia. Annals of the Royal Botanic Gardens Peredinaya 7: 167-278.