Table 3.

Most important micromorphological characters for species recognition.

Species	Colour and size (μm) ascomata on PDA	Shape ascospores on PDA	Size ascospores (μm)	Shape and colour conidia	Size of conidia (μm)	Number of conidia per phialide
Monascusargentinensis*	Dark olivaceous-brown, 20–75	Ellipsoidal to subglobose	3–4 × 2.5–3	Globose to obovoid or obpyriform	Globose, 5–15; obpyriform, 7–15 × 5–9	Single or formed in short chains
M. flavipigmentosus	Hyaline to brown, 40–60	Lunate	4–5 × 1.7–2.5	Globose to subglobose, hyaline to brown	5.5–7.5	Single or formed in short chains
M. floridanus*	Dark brown, 22–58	Ellipsoidal	3.5–4.5 × 2–3	Globose to obovoid or obpyriform, pale brown	4–9 × 3.5–9	Single or formed in short chains (up to 6?)
M. lunisporas*	Brown, 25–60	Lunate	6–7 × 2–2.5	Globose to obpyriform, hyaline to brown	Globose, 6–11; obpyriform, 5–7 × 7–10	Single or formed in short chains
M. mellicola	–	–	–	Globose to subglobose, hyaline to brown	2.5–5.0 × 3.5–5.0	Single or up to 17 conidia
M. pallens*	Hyaline, 23–38	Ellipsoidal	3.5–4 × 2.5–3	Usually pyriform, hyaline	3.5–10 (–13) × 2.5–8	Short terminal or intercalary basipetal
M. purpureus**	Hyaline, (25–) 45 × 60 (–70)	Ellipsoidal	(5.5–) 6–7 × 4–5	Globose to obpyriform	8–11 × 8–10	Single or in short chains
M. recifensis	–	–	–	Globose to subglobose, hyaline to brown	4.0–7.0	Single or in short chains
M. ruber**	Brown, 30–50 (–60)	Ellipsoidal	5–6 (–7.5) × (3.5–) 4–5	Globose to obpyriform	10–18 × 8–14	Single or up to 10 conidia

Abbreviations: *Data from original description; **Data from Hawksworth & Pitt (1983); –: not observed.