Lophodermium Chevall. is a paraphyletic genus in Rhytismataceae (Rhytismatales, Leotiomycetes) with more than 100 species described. They are all associated with either living or dead plants as endophytes or saprophytes but can be found on a diverse range of hosts, from grasses to conifers (e.g. Lantz et al. 2011). Currently, around 38 Lophodermium species, known to be endophytic with Pinus (pine) species, comprise a group hypothesized to be monophyletic (Ortiz-García et al. 2003). Despite the smaller number of species, the classification of pine-associated Lophodermium is challenging because the few, relatively simple morphological characters are difficult to interpret. Some morphological characters, such as subcuticular vs. subepidermal ascocarps (Minter 1981), have converged, leading to misidentifications and hindering the ability of mycologists to identify species without sequencing (Minter 1981, Ortiz-García et al. 2003). These species form small ascomata (< 5 mm) on plant litter that require multiple parallel cross-sectioning to reveal diagnostic morphological characters under the microscope and culture descriptions are rare. Also, there is relatively poor sampling to identify any geographical or ecological patterns that would help delineate different species, in addition to morphological characters.