Idriella lunata CBS 204.56. Photo credit: Jérôme Collemare

The type strain of Idriella lunata P.E. Nelson & S. Wilh., Mycologia 48 (4): 547 (1956) was isolated from roots of Fragaria chiloensis var. ananassa (strawberry) in California, near Santa Clara. It was reported to cause a root rot of strawberry. Together with Microdochium and Selenodriella genera, the Idriella genus belongs to the Microdochiaceae family (Hernandez-Restrepo et al., 2016) and the important order of Xylariales, which comprises many endophytic and wood-associated fungal species. The genome of Idriella lunata will be useful to study the evolution of root-associated fungi in regard to endophytic and pathogenic lifestyles, which may rely on chemical effectors. Species in the Xylariales order are rich in secondary metabolite pathways and thus, it is expected that the diversity of metabolites produced within the Microdochiaceae family contributes to its evolution.