[2] Species are commonly found growing both on living and dead wood, bark of deciduous trees, on shrubs and on herbaceous hosts.

[3] The ascocarp are usually flaskshaped or pearshaped (piriform), 0,2-0,6 mm (200-600 μm) wide, black of color and with a smooth surface without excrescence.

[3] There are many species of ascomycetes that form fruit-bodies alike those of Lophiostoma found both in class Dothidemycetes and Sordariomycetes, but the slitlike and somewhat oblong opening of the ostiole are characteristic but not exclusive.

[8] The name of Lophiostoma meaning small crested mouth/door in Latin, which refer to the characteristic shape of the slitlike ostiole of the genus.

[3][4][5] The fruit body of the sexual reproduction (teleomorph) are characterized as having immersed to erumpent ascocarp with a slitlike ostiole; unequal thickness of peridium, which is broader laterally at the base.

Chesters & Bell (1970)[4] adapted ascospore features including color and longitudinal or transverse septation for generic circumscription.

These broad generic concepts of Lophiostoma have been used by several authors (Barr 1987,[5] 1992,[6] Yuan & Zhao 1994,[11] Checa 1997,[12] Kirk et al. 2008,[13] Mugambi & Huhndorf 2009,[14]).

[10] Zhang et al. (2009)[18] showed that Lophiostoma, Lophiotrema and Massarina formed well-supported subclades in Pleosporales.