Two new species of Sordariomycetes (Chaetomiaceae and Nectriaceae) from China.

Rich and diverse fungal species occur in different habitats on the earth. Many new taxa are being reported and described in increasing numbers with the advent of molecular phylogenetics. However, there are still a number of unknown fungi that have not yet been discovered and described. During a survey of fungal diversity in different habitats in China, we identified and proposed two new species, based on the morphology and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses. Herein, we report the descriptions, illustrations and molecular phylogeny of the two new species, Bisifusariumkeratinophilumsp. nov. and Ovatosporasinensissp. nov.

Two new species of Samsoniella (Cordycipitaceae, Hypocreales) from the Mayao River Valley, Guizhou, China.

Samsoniella species have been often found in the forest habitat and rarely found in special karst eco-environments, such as Tiankeng, valleys and caves. In this research, eleven cordyceps specimens were collected from Mayao River Valley. A known species (S.haniana) and two new species (S.duyunensis and S.vallis) were established and described according to a multilocus phylogenetic analysis and morphological characteristics. Our results provide insight that the richness of Samsoniella species in karst eco-environments and further attention should be paid to entomopathogenic fungi in such habitats.

Study on species diversity of Akanthomyces (Cordycipitaceae, Hypocreales) in the Jinyun Mountains, Chongqing, China.

Akanthomyces species have only been reported from Guizhou and Qinghai Province, with few reports from other regions in China. In this research, the species diversity of Akanthomyces in the Jinyun Mountains, Chongqing was investigated. Fourteen infected spider specimens were collected and two new species (A.bashanensis and A.beibeiensis) and a known species (A.tiankengensis) were established and described according to a multi-locus phylogenetic analysis and the morphological characteristics. Our results reveal abundant Akanthomyces specimens and three species were found at Jinyun Mountain. Due to its being an important kind of entomopathogenic fungi, further attention needs to be paid to the diversity of other entomopathogenic fungi in Chongqing, China.

Culturable fungi from urban soils in China II, with the description of 18 novel species in Ascomycota (Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Leotiomycetes and Sordariomycetes).

As China's urbanisation continues to advance, more people are choosing to live in cities. However, this trend has a significant impact on the natural ecosystem. For instance, the accumulation of keratin-rich substrates in urban habitats has led to an increase in keratinophilic microbes. Despite this, there is still a limited amount of research on the prevalence of keratinophilic fungi in urban areas. Fortunately, our group has conducted in-depth investigations into this topic since 2015. Through our research, we have discovered a significant amount of keratinophilic fungi in soil samples collected from various urban areas in China. In this study, we have identified and characterised 18 new species through the integration of morphological and phylogenetic analyses. These findings reveal the presence of numerous unexplored fungal taxa in urban habitats, emphasising the need for further taxonomic research in urban China.

Taxonomy and Phylogeny of Eight New Acrophialophora Species (Sordariales, Chaetomiaceae) from China.

The genus Acrophialophora belongs to the family Chaetomiaceae. With the addition of new species and transferred species from other genera, the genus Acrophialophora has expanded. In this study, eight new species related to Acrophialophora were isolated from soil samples in China. Using muti-locus phylogenetic (ITS, LSU, tub2 and RPB2) analysis combined with morphological characteristics, eight new species (Acrophialophora curvata, A. fujianensis, A. guangdongensis, A. longicatenata, A. minuta, A. multiforma, A. rhombica, and A. yunnanensis) are described. Descriptions, illustrations, and notes of the new species are also provided.

Additions to Thelebolales (Leotiomycetes, Ascomycota): Pseudogeomyceslindneri gen. et sp. nov. and Pseudogymnoascuscampensis sp. nov.

Thelebolales are globally distributed fungi with diverse ecological characteristics. The classification of Thelebolales remains controversial to date and this study introduces two new taxa, based on morphological and phylogenetic analyses. The results of phylogenetic analyses indicated that the new taxa formed distinct lineages with strong support that were separated from the other members of Thelebolales. The new taxa described herein did not form sexual structures. The phylogenetic relationships of the new taxa and the morphological differences between these taxa and the other species under Thelebolales are also discussed.

Multiverruca sinensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a thermotolerant fungus isolated from soil in China.

During a survey of thermotolerant fungi in China, three isolates were obtained from soil samples. Phylogenetic analysis of a combined internal transcribed spacer and large subunit dataset showed that these isolates belong to the same species, which form a well-separated lineage distinct from the other genera in Latoruaceae. Morphologically, the isolates are characterized by having globose and smooth conidiogenous cells, verruculose mycelium and cymbiform conidia. Combining the phylogenetic analyses and morphological characteristics, Multiverruca gen. nov. is proposed and introduced to accommodate a single new species, Multiverruca sinensis sp. nov. Detailed descriptions, illustrations and notes are provided for the new genus and species.

Species Diversity of Cordyceps-Like Fungi in the Tiankeng Karst Region of China.

Tiankeng acts as a refugium for biodiversity amid a changing global climate, and a previous study has shown that some ancient (Alsophila spinulosa) and unique plants (cool-adapted plants) are present in Tiankeng. However, there are few reports on Ascomycota from the Tiankeng karst region. In this research, the species diversity of Cordyceps-like fungi in Monkey-Ear Tiankeng was investigated. Seven species in the genera Akanthomyces, Beauveria, Cordyceps, and Samsoniella were identified based on internal transcribed spacer sequences and morphological characteristics. Eight new species in the genera Akanthomyces, Cordyceps, and Samsoniella were established and described according to a multilocus phylogenetic analysis and morphological characteristics. Our results revealed that Cordyceps-like fungi were abundant in Monkey-Ear Tiankeng, providing new insights into the diversity of Ascomycota in this special eco-environment. IMPORTANCE Karst Tiankeng has a special eco-environment and acts as a refugium for biodiversity. However, there are few reports on Ascomycota from the Tiankeng karst region. In this research, seven known species and eight new species in the genera Akanthomyces, Beauveria, Cordyceps, and Samsoniella were reported. The results showed that Cordyceps-like fungi are abundant in Monkey-Ear Tiankeng. Interestingly, the month of the sampling was November, which is not an active period of growth and reproduction for Cordyceps-like fungi. These results revealed that unconventional time sampling should not be ignored, especially for a special eco-environment, and provided new insights into the diversity of Ascomycota in this special eco-environment.

New taxonomic framework for Arthrodermataceae: a comprehensive analysis based on their phylogenetic reconstruction, divergence time estimation, phylogenetic split network, and phylogeography.

The Arthrodermataceae, or dermatophytes, are a major family in the Onygenales and important from a public health safety perspective. Here, based on sequenced and downloaded from GenBank sequences, the evolutionary relationships of Arthrodermataceae were comprehensively studied via phylogenetic reconstruction, divergence time estimation, phylogenetic split network, and phylogeography analysis. These results showed the clades Ctenomyces, Epidermophyton, Guarromyces, Lophophyton, Microsporum, Paraphyton, and Trichophyton were all monophyletic groups, whereas Arthroderma and Nannizzia were polyphyletic. Among them, Arthroderma includes at least four different clades, Arthroderma I, III and IV are new clades in Arthrodermataceae. Nannizzia contains at least two different clades, Nannizzia I and Nannizzia II, but Nannizzia II was a new clade in Arthrodermataceae. The unclassified group, distributed in Japan and India, was incorrectly identified; it should be a new clade in Arthrodermataceae. The phylogenetic split network based on the ITS sequences provided strong support for the true relationships among the lineages in the reconstructed phylogenetic tree. A haplotype phylogenetic network based on the ITS sequences was used to visualize species evolution and geographic lineages relationships in all genera except Trichophyton. The new framework provided here for the phylogeny and taxonomy of Arthrodermataceae will facilitate the rapid identification of species in the family, which should useful for evaluating the results of preventive measures and interventions, as well as for conducting epidemiological studies.

Keratinophyton chongqingense sp. nov. and Keratinophyton sichuanense sp. nov., from soil in China.

Keratinophyton is a genus of well-known keratinophilic fungi found in various terrestrial habitats. During a survey of keratinolytic fungi in China, a total of 12 isolates of Keratinophyton species, representing eight taxa, were obtained from the soil. Two of these isolates were described as new species based on their morphological characteristics and molecular analyses of the internal transcribed spacer region and the rRNA gene of the nuclear large subunit. Descriptions and illustrations of these two novel species, which are named Keratinophyton chongqingense sp. nov. and Keratinophyton sichuanense sp. nov., are provided herein.

Morphological characteristics and phylogenetic evidence reveal two new species of Acremonium (Hypocreales, Sordariomycetes).

Using chicken feathers as bait, Acremoniumglobosisporum sp. nov. and Acremoniumcurvum sp. nov. were collected from the soil of Yuncheng East Garden Wildlife Zoo and Zhengzhou Zoo in China. They were identified by combining the morphological characteristics and the two-locus DNA sequence (LSU and ITS) analyses. In the phylogenetic tree, both new species clustered into separate subclades, respectively. They were different from their allied species in their morphology. The description, illustrations, and phylogenetic tree of the two new species were provided.

Phylogenetic, ecological and morphological characteristics reveal two new spider-associated genera in Clavicipitaceae.

Clavicipitaceous fungi are pathogenic to scale insects, white flies and other insect orders. However, a few species are spider-associated. Two new genera from China, Neoaraneomyces and Pseudometarhizium, are described based on phylogenetic, ecological and morphological characteristics. Two spider-associated species, Neoaraneomycesaraneicola, Pseudometarhiziumaraneogenum, and an insect-associated species Pseudometarhiziumlepidopterorum are included. The morphological characteristics of paecilomyces-like conidiogenous structures, present in many insect/spiders associated species make species-level identifications difficult. A phylogenetic analysis of the combined dataset (ITS, LSU, RPB2 and TEF), placed the two new genera in Clavicipitaceae. The new spider-associated species may be the result of convergent evolution to adapt to the ecological environment and may have undergone host jumping or altered their nutritional preferences.

Culturable Fungi from Urban Soils in China I: Description of 10 New Taxa.

An investigation of members of the soil keratinophilic fungi community in China resulted in the identification of one new monotypic genus, Zongqia, and 10 new species, 2 of which are affiliated with Solomyces, 1 with the new genus Zongqia, 4 with Pseudogymnoascus, and 3 with Scedosporium. These novel taxa form an independent lineage distinct from other species, based on morphological and multilocus phylogenetic analyses. Descriptions, illustrations, and notes are provided for each taxon. These new taxa of the soil keratinophilic fungi add to the increasing number of fungi known from China, and it is now evident that numerous novel taxa are waiting to be described. IMPORTANCE Keratinophilic fungi are a group that can degrade and utilize keratin-rich material. It is also because of this ability that many taxa can cause infections in animals or humans but remain poorly studied. In this study, we reported a novel genus and 10 novel species, 7 novel species belonging to the order Thelebolales and 3 to the genus Scedosporium, based on multilocus phylogenetic analyses combined with morphological characteristics. Our study significantly updates the taxonomy of Thelebolales and Scedosporium and enhances our understanding of this group of the keratin-degrading fungal community. The findings also encourage future studies on the artificially constructed keratin-degrading microbial consortia.

Taxonomic and phylogenetic characterizations reveal four new species of Simplicillium (Cordycipitaceae, Hypocreales) from Guizhou, China.

Simplicillium species are commonly found from soil, seawater, rock surface, decayed wood, air and as symbiotic, endophytic, entomopathogenic and mycoparasitic fungi. Minority insect-associated species was reported. Simplicillium coccinellidae, S. hymenopterorum, S. neolepidopterorum and S. scarabaeoidea were introduced as the newly insect-associated species. The phylogenetic analyses of two combined datasets (LSU + RPB1 + TEF and SSU + ITS + LSU) revealed that S. coccinellidae and S. hymenopterorum were both nested in an independent clade. S. neolepidopterorum and S. scarabaeoidea have a close relationship with S. formicidae and S. lepidopterorum, respectively. S. neolepidopterorum can be easily distinguished from S. formicidae by ellipsoidal to cylindrical, solitary conidia which occasionally gather in short imbricate chains. S. scarabaeoidea could be easily distinguished from S. lepodopterorum by having longer phialides and larger conidia. Based on the morphological and phylogenetic conclusion, we determine the four newly generated isolates as new species of Simplicillium and a new combination is proposed in the genus Leptobacillium.

Multi-gene phylogenetic evidence indicates that Pleurodesmospora belongs in Cordycipitaceae (Hypocreales, Hypocreomycetidae) and Pleurodesmospora lepidopterorum sp. nov. on pupa from China.

A new species, Pleurodesmospora lepidopterorum, isolated from a pupa, is introduced. Morphological comparisons and phylogenetic analyses based on multigene datasets (ITS+RPB1+RPB2+TEF) support the establishment of the new species. Pleurodesmospora lepidopterorum is distinguished from P. coccorum by its longer conidiogenous pegs located in the terminal or lateral conidiophores, and smaller subglobose or ellipsoidal conidia. A combined dataset of RPB1, RPB2, and TEF confirmed the taxonomic placement of Pleurodesmospora in Cordycipitaceae for the first time.

Morphological and phylogenetic characterisations reveal three new species of Samsoniella (Cordycipitaceae, Hypocreales) from Guizhou, China.

Samsoniella species have been found on lepidopteran larvae or pupae buried in soil or leaf litter. Three new species, Samsoniella hymenopterorum, S. coleopterorum and S. lepidopterorum, parasitic on hymenopteran larvae, coleopteran larvae and lepidopteran pupae, respectively, are reported. Morphological comparisons with extant species and DNA-based phylogenies from analysis of a multigene (ITS, RPB1, RPB2 and TEF) dataset supported the establishment of the new species. Unusually, all three new species have mononematous conidiophores. The new species are clearly distinct from other species in Samsoniella occurring in separate subclades.

Three novel insect-associated species of Simplicillium (Cordycipitaceae, Hypocreales) from Southwest China.

In this paper, we introduce three new species of Simplicillium, viz. S. cicadellidae, S. formicidae and S. lepidopterorum, which were isolated from an infected leafhopper, ant and carpenterworm, respectively. Morphological comparisons and phylogenetic analyses based on multigene datasets (LSU+RPB1+RPB2+TEF and ITS+LSU) support the establishment of the three new species. Simplicillium cicadellidae was distinguished from other species in morphological characteristics by having smaller phialides and ellipsoidal conidia, and lacking octahedral crystals. The reverse of colonies were yellowish (#FFBF00), especially in the middle, and radially sulcate. Simplicillium formicidae was morphologically distinguished from other by having longer phialides and filiform to fusoid conidia, and by lacking octahedral crystals. Simplicillium lepidopterorum was morphologically distinguished from other species by having smaller, ellipsoidal to fusiform conidia, and by lacking octahedral crystals. The reverse of the colony was pale white. The three new species are likely to be nourished by plant to animal (especially insect) nutrients based on the evolutionary pattern of the Hypocreales, and they are described herein as being clearly distinct from other species in Simplicillium.

Phylogeny and taxonomy of two new Plectosphaerella (Plectosphaerellaceae, Glomerellales) species from China.

The genus Plectosphaerella is the largest genus in the family Plectosphaerellaceae. Some species are plant pathogens, whereas others are soil-borne. Seven Plectosphaerella isolates were collected from various locations in the southwest of China. Using multi-locus phylogenetic (LSU, ITS, EF1α, RPB2) analyses combined with morphological characteristics, two new species, Plectosphaerella guizhouensis sp. nov. and Plectosphaerella nauculaspora sp. nov. are described, illustrated and compared with related species.

[Community composition and ecological functional structural analysis of endophytic fungi in bark of Eucommia ulmoides in different areas].

Based on high-throughput sequencing and metagenomic technology,the community composition and ecological functions of endophytic fungi in the bark of Eucommia ulmoides from three producing areas,Fengxiang town in Zunyi county of Guizhou province,Lingyang town of Cili county of Hunan province and Mumen town of Wangcang county of Sichuan province,were analyzed. A total of110 865 effective sequences of endophytic fungi were obtained in the study. The corresponding fungal group of OTUs after clustering belonged to 3 phyla( Ascomycota,Basidiomycota,Zygomycota),10 classes,25 orders,41 families,57 genera and 74 species. Among them,the dominant genera of Sichuan Wangcang Bark of E. ulmoides( EWP) was an unclassified genus in the Nectriaceae of the Crimsonaceae,with a relative abundance of 54. 79%; The dominant species of Hunan Cili Bark of E. ulmoides( ECP) was the unclassified genus of Ascomycota,with a relative abundance of 39. 97% and the dominant species of Guizhou Zunyi bark( EZP) was Lophiostoma,and its relative abundance was 47. 07%. The analysis of α diversity indicated that the shannon diversity index of endophytic fungi from different places was as follows: ECP: 1. 340 2>EZP: 1. 380 4 > EWP: 1. 168 3. The simpson diversity index was: EWP( 0. 427 3) >EZP( 0. 332 5) > ECP( 0. 313 6). FUNGuild software platform analysis displayed that endophytic fungi of E. ulmoides bark from three producing areas contained the following 14 functional groups: plant pathogen,animal pathogen and endophyte et al.,the number of functional groups in the 3 samples of E. ulmoides reached up 8 genera and exceeded one half of the total number. Correlation analysis of Canonical correspondence analysis( CCA) between endophytic fungal community diversity and four active compounds of E. ulmoides were analyzed,the results showed that the contents of pinoresinol diglucoside and chlorogenic acid,to a certain extend,had a positive correlation with an unclassified genus of Davidiellaceae,Mortierella,Chaetomium and Pestalotiopsis from the endophytic fungi in EWP sample.

Phylogeny and taxonomy of three new Ctenomyces (Arthrodermataceae, Onygenales) species from China.

Twelve Ctenomyces (Arthrodermataceae, Onygenales) strains were obtained and identified during a survey of keratinophilic fungi in soils from China. We used molecular identification combined with morphological evidence to delimit species, circumscribing five species in the genus. Three new species are herein described: C.albus sp. nov., C.obovatus sp. nov. and C.peltricolor sp. nov. We also described, illustrated and compared the novel species with related species in the morphology.