Hypocrea peltata: a mycological Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde?

Hypocrea peltata (Pezizomycotina, Hypocreales, Hypocreaceae) is a common, widespread essentially subtropical species, with an uncharacteristically large stroma and asci containing four large and four small bicellular ascospores. Its only anamorph consists of indehiscent aleuriospores; it does not form a Trichoderma anamorph, which is typical of most Trichoderma/Hypocrea species. Hypocrea peltata grows very well at 37 C. The large stromata and failure to form a Trichoderma anamorph could lead one to doubt its generic placement. However sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), 28S nuclear large subunit (LSU) of rDNA and RNA polymerase subunit II (rpb2) regions indicate that it represents a unique lineage within Trichoderma/Hypocrea. ITS and rbp2 sequences derived from cultures of H. peltata are identical to the "unidentified Hypocreaceae" reported in the literature as being isolated from lung of a patient with non-fatal pulmonary fibrosis.