Discovery and Identification of Four Novel Species of Distoseptispora (Distoseptisporaceae, Distoseptisporales) on Decaying Wood from Hainan and Fujian Provinces, China.

Abstract

Decaying wood, as a unique substrate, which contains cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and nitrogen-containing compounds, harbors significant fungal biodiversity, particularly among dematiaceous hyphomycete species. This study uses a combination of morphological and molecular systematics methods. Phylogenetic analyses of ITS, LSU, RPB2 and TEF1 sequences were conducted using the maximum likelihood (ML) and the Bayesian inference (BI) method. Combined with the morphological characteristics, four new species of Distoseptispora, D. bawanglingensis sp. nov., D. changjiangensis sp. nov., D. daanyuanensis sp. nov. and D. jianfenglingensis sp. nov., were identified from decaying wood collected in Hainan and Fujian provinces, China. This study provides detailed descriptions, illustrations, and phylogenetic trees with the aim of clarifying the taxonomic status of these four new species, thereby enhancing our understanding of the species diversity of Distoseptispora in Hainan and Fujian provinces, China.