Morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses revealed five new species (Basidiomycota) from Southwestern China.

In the present study, five new wood-inhabiting fungal species, Conferticiumalbocremeum (Stereaceae, Russulales), Dendrocorticiopsisluteoalba (Punctulariaceae, Corticiales), Eichleriellabiluoxueshanensis (Auriculariaceae, Auriculariales), Gloeohypochniciumyunnanense (Incertae sedis, Russulales), and Punctularianigrodontea (Punctulariaceae, Corticiales), collected from southern China, are proposed based on a combination of morphological features and phylogenetic evidence. Conferticiumalbocremeum is characterized by membranaceous and smooth basidiomata with white to cream surface and ellipsoid and verrucose basidiospores (9-11 × 5-7 µm); Dendrocorticiopsisluteoalba is characterized white to buff, membranaceous basidiomata and ellipsoid, thin-walled and smooth basidiospores (7-8 × 4.5-5.5 µm); Eichleriellabiluoxueshanensis is characterized by coriaceous and grandinioid basidiomata with buff to cinnamon-buff hymenophore and allantoid, thin-walled basidiospores (13.5-17.5 × 7-9 µm); Gloeohypochniciumyunnanense is characterized by buff to cream, coriaceous and smooth basidiomata and globose, thick-walled and warted basidiospores (10-12 × 10-11.5 µm), and Punctularianigrodontea is characterized by resupinate to effused-reflexed basidiomata and ellipsoid, thin-walled and smooth basidiospores (8.5-10 × 5-6 µm). Sequences of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) and the large subunit (nLSU) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) markers of the studied samples were generated. Phylogenetic analyses performed based on the ITS+nLSUrDNA gene regions with the maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and Bayesian inference methods revealed that five new species belong to the genera Conferticium, Dendrocorticiopsis, Eichleriella, Gloeohypochnicium, and Punctularia. Descriptions, illustrations, phylogenetic analysis results, and a comparison with closely related taxa of the five new species are provided.