Cladophialophora is a genus of fungi in the family Herpotrichiellaceae. It has 35 species.[1] The genus contains black yeast-like fungi, some of which are species of important medical significance. Cladophialophora bantiana causes the rare brain disease cerebral phaeohyphomycosis.[2] Cladophialophora carrionii is a common cause of chromoblastomycosis in semi-arid climates.[3] Some of the species are endophytes–associating with plants. For example, Cladophialophora yegresii is a cactus endophyte, which is sometimes introduced into humans via cactus spines.[4]
The genus was proposed in 1980 by Italian-born Venezuelan microbiologist and mycologist Dante Borelli. The type species was assigned to Cladophialophora ajelloi, which was isolated from a Ugandan case of chromomycosis.[5]