Reappraisal of Immotthia in Dictyosporiaceae, Pleosporales: Introducing Immotthia bambusae sp. nov. and Pseudocyclothyriella clematidis comb. et gen. nov. Based on Morphology and Phylogeny

Phylogeny and taxonomy of two new species in Dictyosporiaceae (Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes) from Guizhou, China

Two novel species within the family Dictyosporiaceae are described and illustrated from terrestrial habitats on dead culms of bamboo and an unidentified plant, respectively. Through morphological comparisons and the multi-locus phylogenetic analyses of combined LSU, ITS, SSU, and tef1-α sequence dataset, two species, Gregaritheciumbambusicola, Pseudocoleophomaparaphysoidea are identified. Phylogenetically, both species clustered into a monophyletic clade with strong bootstrap support. Gregaritheciumbambusicola sp. nov. can be distinguished from other species within the genus based on its almost straight ascospores. Pseudocoleophomaparaphysoidea sp. nov. differs from other species in its conidiogenous cells intermixed with paraphyses, longer conidiogenous cells and larger conidia. The identification of this lineage contributes to our understanding of the classification of Dictyosporiaceae.

Exploring ascomycete diversity in Yunnan II: Introducing three novel species in the suborder Massarineae (Dothideomycetes, Pleosporales) from fern and grasses

This article presents the results of an ongoing inventory of Ascomycota in Yunnan, China, carried out as part of the research project series "Exploring ascomycete diversity in Yunnan". From over 100 samples collected from diverse host substrates, microfungi have been isolated, identified and are currently being documented. The primary objective of this research is to promote the discovery of novel taxa and explore the ascomycete diversity in the region, utilising a morphology-phylogeny approach. This article represents the second series of species descriptions for the project and introduces three undocumented species found in the families Bambusicolaceae, Dictyosporiaceae and Periconiaceae, belonging to the suborder Massarineae (Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes). These novel taxa exhibit typical morphological characteristics of Bambusicola, Periconia and Trichobotrys, leading to their designation as Bambusicolahongheensis, Periconiakunmingensis and Trichobotryssinensis. Comprehensive multigene phylogenetic analyses were conducted to validate the novelty of these species. The results revealed well-defined clades that are clearly distinct from other related species, providing robust support for their placement within their respective families. Notably, this study unveils the phylogenetic affinity of Trichobotrys within Dictyosporiaceae for the first time. Additionally, the synanamorphism for the genus Trichobotrys is also reported for the first time. Detailed descriptions, illustrations and updated phylogenies of the novel species are provided, and thus presenting a valuable resource for researchers and mycologists interested in the diversity of ascomycetes in Yunnan. By enhancing our understanding of the Ascomycota diversity in this region, this research contributes to the broader field of fungal taxonomy and their phylogenetic understanding.

Three Novel Cheiroid Hyphomycetes in Dictyocheirospora and Dictyosporium (Dictyosporiaceae) from Freshwater Habitats in Guangdong and Guizhou Provinces, China

Over the past two decades, numerous novel species have been identified within Dictyosporiaceae, primarily in Dictyocheirospora and Dictyosporium. A recent monograph has revealed that these two genera exhibit a distinct preference for freshwater habitats, particularly in southern China. However, further investigation into the distribution and diversity of the two genera in Guangdong and Guizhou Provinces remains insufficient. In this study, we conducted an analysis of four intriguing cheiroid hyphomycetes collected from flowing rivers in these two regions. Through morphological and phylogenetic analyses incorporating combined LSU, SSU, ITS, and tef1-α sequence data, we have identified them as a novel species in Dictyocheirospora (Dictyoc. submersa sp. nov.), two novel species in Dictyosporium (Dictyos. guangdongense sp. nov. and Dictyos. variabilisporum sp. nov.), and one previously documented species (Dictyos. digitatum). Specifically, the identification of Dictyos. guangdongense is primarily based on its distinct morphology, characterized by complanate, cheiroid, and brown to dark brown conidia, with a hyaline, short, and atrophied appendage arising from the apical cell of the outer row. In addition, the morphological distinctions between Dictyocheirospora and Dictyosporium are further clarified based on our new data. This study also highlights a few phylogenetic matters regarding Dictyosporiaceae.

Exploring More on Dictyosporiaceae: The Species Geographical Distribution and Intriguing Novel Additions from Plant Litter

Five fungal taxa collected from plant litter in Chiang Mai province, Thailand, are described with illustrations. The maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and Bayesian analyses of combined loci of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), large subunit nuclear ribosomal DNA (LSU), and translation extension factor 1-α (tef1-α) region were used for phylogeny analyses. Dictyocheirospora acaciae is introduced as a new species from Acacia dealbata. Based on size differences in conidiomata, conidia, and DNA sequence data, it is separated from the other species in the genus. Four new host records, Dictyocheirospora garethjonesii, Di. taiwanense, Dictyosporium digitatum, and Pseudocoleophoma zingiberacearum are also reported from Bismarkia nobilis, Ficus benjamina, Cyperus aggregatus, and Hedychium spicatum, respectively. Detailed descriptions, microphotographs, and phylogenetic information were provided, and all the species were compared to similar taxa. It is noted that there is still a necessity for a collective worldwide account of the distribution of Dictyosporiaceae species. Therefore, we compiled the geographical distributions and host species associations of all the so far known Dictyosporiaceae species and discussed them here.

Novel Species and Records of Dictyosporiaceae from Freshwater Habitats in China and Thailand

China and Thailand are rich in fungal diversity with abundant freshwater resources that are favorable for numerous fungal encounters. Resulting from this, the majority of the Dictyosporiaceae species reported were from these two countries. During the investigation on the diversity of lignicolous freshwater fungi in the Greater Mekong Subregion, eleven collections of cheirosporous species on submerged wood were collected from lentic and lotic habitats in China and Thailand. Phylogenetic analysis that combined nuclear small-subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU), internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), nuclear large subunit ribosomal RNA (LSU) and translation elongation factor 1α (tef 1-α) loci revealed six new species: Dictyocheirospora chiangmaiensis, D. multiappendiculata, D. suae, Digitodesmium aquaticum, Vikalpa grandispora and V. sphaerica. In addition, four known species were also identified and reported based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence. The detailed descriptions and illustrations of these taxa are provided with an updated phylogenetic tree of Dictyosporiaceae.

Description of Four Novel Species in Pleosporales Associated with Coffee in Yunnan, China

In Yunnan Province, the coffee-growing regions are mainly distributed in Pu’er and Xishuangbanna. During the surveys of microfungi associated with coffee in Yunnan Province, seven taxa were isolated from coffee samples. Based on molecular phylogenetic analyses of combined ITS, LSU, SSU, rpb2, and tef1-α sequence data and morphological characteristics, four new species viz. Deniquelata yunnanensis, Paraconiothyrium yunnanensis, Pseudocoleophoma puerensis, and Pse. yunnanensis, and three new records viz. Austropleospora keteleeriae, Montagnula thailandica, and Xenocamarosporium acaciae in Pleosporales are introduced. In addition, Paracamarosporium fungicola was transferred back to Paraconiothyrium based on taxonomy and DNA sequences. Full descriptions, illustrations, and phylogenetic trees to show the placement of new and known taxa are provided. In addition, the morphological comparisons of new taxa with closely related taxa are given.

Bambusicolous Fungi in Pleosporales: Introducing Four Novel Taxa and a New Habitat Record for Anastomitrabeculia didymospora

While conducting a survey of bambusicolous fungi in northern Thailand and southwestern China, several saprobic fungi were collected from dead branches, culms and twigs of bamboos, which were preliminarily identified as species belonging to Pleosporales (Dothideomycetes) based on a morphological approach. Multigene phylogenetic analyses based on ITS, LSU, SSU, rpb2, tef1-α and tub2 demonstrated four novel taxa belonging to the families Parabambusicolaceae, Pyrenochaetopsidaceae and Tetraploasphaeriaceae. Hence, Paramultiseptospora bambusae sp. et gen. nov., Pyrenochaetopsis yunnanensis sp. nov. and Tetraploa bambusae sp. nov. are introduced. In addition, Anastomitrabeculia didymospora found on bamboo twigs in terrestrial habitats is reported for the first time. Detailed morphological descriptions and updated phylogenetic trees of each family are provided herein.

Verrucoccum (Dothideomycetes, Dictyosporiaceae), a new genus of lichenicolous fungi on Lobaria s. lat. for the Dothidea hymeniicola species complex

Two lichenicolous fungi, one growing on the thallus of Lobaria pulmonaria in the United Kingdom (Scotland) and the other in apothecia of Lobaria linita and L. oregana in northwestern North America (Alaska and British Columbia) and northeast Asia (Russian Far East, Khabarovsk Krai), show similarities to the species originally described as Dothidea hymeniicola (later transferred to Polycoccum s. lat and Endococcus) from a Lobaria s. lat. species in Central America. Critical morphological comparison showed that, despite the superficial resemblance between Alaskan, Canadian, Russian, and Scottish collections and the holotype of Dothidea hymeniicola, they can be distinguished by detailed microscopic analyses. Using three molecular markers, sequences of the nuc 18S, 28S, and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA regions of the recent Scottish and Alaskan collections were obtained. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed separation of the species and revealed them as a new lineage in Pleosporales, for which the new generic name Verrucoccum is introduced for the three species: V. coppinsii, sp. nov., V. hymeniicola, comb. nov. (syn. Dothidea hymeniicola), and V. spribillei, sp. nov.