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Diatrypaceae members have a broad distribution and are commonly found on decaying wood. Despite taxonomic and morphological challenges within this group, there has been a growing interest in Diatrypaceae in recent years. The dead branches of several plant hosts with fungal fruiting bodies were collected from Doi Tung National Park, Chiang Rai, and the Narathiwat Provinces in Thailand. Their morphological characteristics, coupled with a molecular phylogeny of combined ITS and tub 2 sequence data, were used to introduce two novel Allodiatrype species ( A. dalbergiae and A. eleiodoxae ) and one new Melanostictus species ( M. chiangraiensis ). Moreover, four new host records, Diatrypella heveae , D. major , Melanostictus thailandicus , and Paraeutypella citricola on Microcos paniculata , Nayariophyton zizyphifolium , Dalbergia cultrata , and M. paniculata , respectively, as well as a new geographical record of D. major are reported. This research provides detailed descriptions of macro- and microcharacteristics, coupled with a phylogenetic tree for the newly introduced species and host records. The morphological features of Allodiatrype and Melanostictus are listed in the synoptic table.

Leaf litter is an essential functional aspect of forest ecosystems, acting as a source of organic matter, a protective layer in forest soils, and a nurturing habitat for micro- and macro-organisms. Through their successional occurrence, litter-inhabiting microfungi play a key role in litter decomposition and nutrient recycling. Despite their importance in terrestrial ecosystems and their abundance and diversity, information on the taxonomy, diversity, and host preference of these decomposer taxa is scarce. This study aims to clarify the taxonomy and phylogeny of four saprobic fungal taxa inhabiting Dipterocarpus alatus leaf litter. Leaf litter samples were collected from Doi Inthanon National Park in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. Fungal isolates were characterized based on morphology and molecular phylogeny of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS, LSU) and protein-coding genes ( tub2 , tef1-α , rpb2 ). One novel saprobic species, Ciliochorella dipterocarpi , and two new host records, Pestalotiopsis dracontomelon and Robillarda australiana , are introduced. The newly described taxa are compared with similar species, and comprehensive descriptions, micrographs, and phylogenetic trees are provided.

Cucurbitariaceae has a high biodiversity worldwide on various hosts and is distributed in tropical and temperate regions. Woody litters collected in Changchun, Jilin Province, China, revealed a distinct collection of fungi in the family Cucurbitariaceae based on morphological and molecular data. Phylogenetic analyses of the concatenated matrix of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, the large subunit (LSU) of ribosomal DNA, the RNA polymerase II subunit ( rpb 2), the translation elongation factor 1-alpha ( tef 1- α ) and β-tubulin ( β-tub ) genes indicated that the isolates represent Allocucurbitaria and Parafenestella species based on maximum likelihood (ML), maximum parsimony (MP) and Bayesian analysis (BPP). We report four novel species: Allocucurbitaria mori , Parafenestella changchunensis , P. ulmi and P. ulmicola . The importance of five DNA markers for species-level identification in Cucurbitariaceae was determined by Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning (ASAP) analyses. The protein-coding gene β-tub is determined to be the best marker for species level identification in Cucurbitariaceae .

Leptosphaeriaceae , a diverse family in the order Pleosporales , is remarkable for its scleroplectenchymatous or plectenchymatous peridium cells. Four Leptosphaeriaceae species were discovered and studied during the investigation of saprobic fungi from plant substrates in China. Novel taxa were defined using multiloci phylogenetic analyses and are supported by morphology. Based on maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) analyses, these isolates represent three novel taxa and one new record within Leptosphaeriaceae . A new genus, Angularia , is introduced to accommodate Angularia xanthoceratis , with a synopsis chart for 15 genera in Leptosphaeriaceae. This study also revealed a new species, Plenodomus changchunensis , and a new record of Alternariaster centaureae-diffusae . These species add to the increasing number of fungi known from China.

A novel genus, Anastomitrabeculia, is introduced herein for a distinct species, Anastomitrabeculia didymospora , collected as a saprobe on dead bamboo culms from a freshwater stream in Thailand. Anastomitrabeculia is distinct in its trabeculate pseudoparaphyses and ascospores with longitudinally striate wall ornamentation. A new family, Anastomitrabeculiaceae, is introduced to accommodate Anastomitrabeculia . Anastomitrabeculiaceae forms an independent lineage basal to Halojulellaceae in Pleosporales and it is closely related to Neohendersoniaceae based on phylogenetic analyses of a combined LSU, SSU and TEF1α dataset. In addition, divergence time estimates provide further support for the establishment of Anastomitrabeculiaceae. The family diverged around 84 million years ago (MYA) during the Cretaceous period, which supports the establishment of the new family. The crown and stem age of Anastomitrabeculiaceae was also compared to morphologically similar pleosporalean families.