Morpho-phylogenetic evidence reveals five novel species of Pestalotiopsis (Sporocadaceae, Amphisphaeriales) from southern China

Pestalotioid fungi occurring as plant pathogens, endophytes, or saprophytes exhibit a wide range of plant hosts. During our ongoing mycological surveys in southern China, 21 strains of Pestalotiopsis were isolated from diseased leaves of terrestrial plants. Phylogenetic analyses of ITS, tef 1-α, and tub 2 sequence data were performed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference to reveal their taxonomic placement within Pestalotiopsis.

Both molecular phylogenetic analyses and morphological comparisons supported them as five new species of Pestalotiopsis, namely P. acericola, P. corchorifolii, P. fraseri, P. goeppertiae, and P. koelreuteriae, and one known species, P. machiliana. This study supplements the species diversity of Pestalotiopsis associated with multiple hosts in southern China.