Novel fungal species of Phaeosphaeriaceae with an asexual/sexual morph connection

Abstract

© Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences. We are studying Dothideomycetes from different hosts in different geographical regions and have introduced new taxa from China, Iran and Italy. In this paper, we introduce Yunnanensis gen. nov. on Poaceae from Yunnan Province, in China, to accommodate Y. phragmitis sp. nov. Neosetophoma iranianum sp. nov. recovered from soil in Iran is also introduced and a sexual morph of Wojnowicia dactylidis on Asperula sp. (Rubiaceae) collected in Italy is also reported. DNA sequence based phylogenies (ribosomal gene) are also generated to infer potential taxonomic relationships. Yunnanensis is morphologically distinct from other genera in Phaeosphaeriaceae in having ascomata with evenly thickened walls comprising with textura angularis and textura angularis to textura prismatica inner layers, broadly cylindrical to cylindric-clavate asci, muriform ascospores with a mucilaginous sheath and a coelomycetous asexual state with muriform conidia. Phylogeny also supports Yunnanensis as a novel genus basal to Neosetophoma. Neosetophoma iranianum is distinct from other species in having subglobose, ovoid to tear-drop shaped transversely septate;, biseptate to triseptate conidia. Neosetophoma iranianum is closely related to N. lunariae but DNA sequence data differences are sufficient to segregate them as two species. Another interesting finding are the asexual/sexual morph connections in Yunnanensis phragmitis and Wojnowiciella dactylidis. All novel taxa investigated herein belong to the family Phaeosphaeriaceae.