Pleosporales

The Pleosporales is the largest order in the fungal class Dothideomycetes. By a 2008 estimate, it contained 23 families, 332 genera and more than 4700 species. The majority of species are saprobes on decaying plant material in fresh water, marine, or terrestrial environments, but several species are also associated with living plants as parasites, epiphytes or endophytes. The best studied species cause plant diseases on important agricultural crops e.g. Cochliobolus heterostrophus, causing southern corn leaf blight on maize, Phaeosphaeria nodorum (Stagonospora nodorum) causing glume blotch on wheat and Leptosphaeria maculans causing a stem canker (called blackleg) on cabbage crops (Brassica). Some species of Pleosporales occur on animal dung, and a small number occur as lichens and rock-inhabiting fungi.

==Taxonomy== The order was proposed in 1955 as Dothideomycetes with perithecioid ascomata with pseudoparaphyses amongst the asci, at which time there were seven families (Botryosphaeriaceae, Didymosphaeriaceae, Herpotrichiellaceae, Lophiostomataceae, Mesnieraceae, Pleosporaceae, and Venturiaceae). Three further families were added in 1973 (Dimeriaceae, Mycoporaceae, and Sporormiaceae). Coniothyriaceae was added by W.B. Cooke in 1983. The order was only formally described in 1987 (Barr) with 21 families. Five families were added in 2009 (Aigialaceae, Amniculicolaceae, Lentitheciaceae, Tetraplosphaeriaceae, and Trematosphaeriaceae). The family Halojulellaceae was circumscribed in 2013, as well as Salsugineaceae. Roussoellaceae was introduced by Liu et al. (2014), family Torulaceae was added in 2017, as well as family Camarosporiaceae, and Neocamarosporiaceae. Then the family Tzeananaceae was added in 2018.