Taxonomy and Phylogeny of Hyphomycetous Muriform Conidial Taxa from the Tibetan Plateau, China

During the investigation of lignicolous freshwater fungi in the Tibetan Plateau habitat, fifteen collections were isolated from submerged decaying wood. Fungal characteristics are commonly found as punctiform or powdery colonies with dark pigmented and muriform conidia. Multigene phylogenetic analyses of combined ITS, LSU, SSU and TEF DNA sequences showed that they belong to three families in Pleosporales. Among them, Paramonodictys dispersa, Pleopunctum megalosporum, Pl. multicellularum and Pl. rotundatum are established as new species. Paradictyoarthrinium hydei, Pleopunctum ellipsoideum and Pl. pseudoellipsoideum are reported as new records on the freshwater habitats in Tibetan Plateau, China. The morphological descriptions and illustrations of the new collections are provided.

Automated summary

During the investigation, 15 collections of lignicolous freshwater fungi were isolated from submerged decaying wood in the Tibetan Plateau habitat. These fungi display characteristic punctiform or powdery colonies with dark pigmented and muriform conidia. Phylogenetic analysis of their DNA sequences revealed that they belong to three families in Pleosporales. Out of these, four species were identified as new species, while three species were reported as new records in the freshwater habitats of Tibetan Plateau, China. This study provides morphological descriptions and illustrations of the new collections.