Insights on Lulworthiales Inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea and Description of Three Novel Species of the Genus Paralulworthia

The order Lulworthiales, with its sole family Lulworthiaceae, consists of strictly marine genera found on a wide range of substrates such as seagrasses, seaweeds, and seafoam. Twenty-one unidentified Lulworthiales were isolated in previous surveys aimed at broadening our understanding of the biodiversity hosted in the Mediterranean Sea. Here, these organisms, mostly found in association with Posidonia oceanica and with submerged woods, were examined using thorough multi-locus phylogenetic analyses and morphological observations. Maximum-likelihood and Bayesian phylogeny based on nrITS, nrSSU, nrLSU, and four protein-coding genes led to the introduction of three novel species of the genus Paralulworthia: P. candida, P. elbensis, and P. mediterranea. Once again, the marine environment is a confirmed huge reservoir of novel fungal lineages with an under-investigated biotechnological potential waiting to be explored.

Automated summary

Through thorough multi-locus phylogenetic analyses, three new species of the genus Paralulworthia were identified within the previously unidentified Lulworthiales in the Mediterranean Sea. This study confirms once again that the marine environment serves as a huge reservoir of novel fungal lineages with under-investigated biotechnological potential.