New fungal genus, three novel species and one new record from mangroves, with reclassification of Melanconiella (Melanconiellaceae) species.

Abstract

Mangrove ecosystems, located in the land-sea interface, host a diverse array of fungi. In this paper, we introduce a novel genus, three novel species and one new record of fungi collected from mangrove environments in Pranburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand. We establish Pseudomelanconiella as a new genus in Melanconiellaceae, to accommodate Pseudomelanconiellamangrovei, a saprobe from submerged decomposing wood of Avicenniamarina. Phylogenetic analysis indicates its close relation with Septomelanconiella, but they differ in the morphology of the conidia. Additionally, our analysis of Melanconiellaceae led to the reclassification of Melanconiellaloropetali to Sinodisculaloropetali and synonymizing Sinodisculacamellicola and Melanconiellacamelliae. This paper also introduces two other novel species: Peroneutypahibisci, a saprobe found on Hibiscustiliaceus and Pseudochaetosphaeronemabruguierae from Bruguieracylindrica, the first species in this genus reported as a mangrove fungus. A new record of Rimoramangrovei from Ceriopstagal is also reported. These discoveries emphasize the rich fungal diversity in mangrove ecosystems supporting further exploration of this unique environment.