[1] Often considered related to Pezizales, 18S phylogenies show Thelebolales are a sister group to Pseudeurotiaceae and Leotiales.

Agar colonies are smooth and pinkish, conidium producing collars ("phialides") arising directly on hyphae, and slimy, 1-celled, hyaline conidia that appear yeast-like.

They may have evolved in response to the double challenge of extreme cold while growing on dung, and the need to survive passage through the gut of warm-blooded animals.

[2][3] Thelebolus stercoreus is a cosmopolitan psychrophile on dung and in soil, with pale yellow to brown cleistothecia containing asci with 32–2000 ellipsoidal ascospores.

Variants with different ascospore numbers often were considered different species, but phylogenetic studies do not support this.