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Stictidaceae was formally introduced as a group of saprotrophic discomycetes. The majority of Stictidaceae species are documented and described from Europe, North America and South America. In contrast, knowledge on stictidaceous fungi in African and Asian continents is lacking. In this study, a novel saprophytic species, Phacidiella kunmingensis sp. nov. was discovered from dead woody twigs in Yunnan Province, China. The new species was described based on its sexual morph, which is characterized by apothecial ascomata, yellow disc, white-pruinose margin, crystalline exciple, filiform paraphyses, cylindrical asci and filiform, multiseptate, non-disarticulating ascospores. Its taxonomic position was inferred using phylogenetic analyses of combined LSU, ITS, mtSSU and rpb2 sequence and further confirmed by morphological studies.

Microfungi associated with Cannaceae are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Even though many fungal taxa have been reported from Cannaceae hosts, Mycospharellaceae on Canna indica are less studied. In this study, a saprobic Mycosphaerellaceae species was isolated on C. indica, from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China. To identify the species, morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of LSU, ITS and rpb2 were employed. Based on multi-gene phylogenetic analyses and morphological comparisons, we introduce our collection as a new species, Madagascaromyces cannae. The novel species is characterized by the septate, pale brown conidiophores, pale brown, terminal and lateral conidiogenous cells and pale brown, clavate, guttulate conidia with 0–6 septa. In addition, a detailed comparison of morphological characters of Madagascaromyces species is provided. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a Madagascaromyces species associated with C. indica in China. Our collection will be an addition to the knowledge of fungi associated with Cannaceae.

During a survey of saprobic microfungi in Southwest China, a coelomycetous fungus was found on dead twigs of Jasminum nudiflorum in Kunming, Yunnan Province. Based on a detailed morphological characterization coupled with multi-locus phylogenetic analyses, the fungus was identified as a new species in the genus Dothidea. Phylogenetic analyses using a combined matrix consisting of internal transcribed spacer (ITS), large subunit rRNA (LSU), small subunit rRNA (SSU), beta tubulin (tub2) and translation elongation factor-1 alpha (tef1-α) confirmed its placement in Dothideaceae and revealed a sister relationship to Dothidea eucalypti. The new species is characterized by pycnidial conidiomata, ampulliform or doliiform conidiogenous cells as well as aseptate, subglobose to ovoid, hyaline to pale-brown conidia. Comprehensive descriptions and illustrations are provided. Morphological characteristics of asexual morph taxa in Dothideaceae are also summarized and discussed.

Leptosphaeria chatkalica, found on dead stems of dicotyledon from Chatkal ridge of Western Tien Shan Mountains in Uzbekistan, is presented as a novel species based on morphological details and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses. Phylogenetic relationships of the novel species were established by analyzing the combined sequence data of LSU, ITS, SSU and tef1-α in Maximum parsimony, Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses. Leptosphaeria chatkalica is characterized by perithecial ascomata, club-like pedicel asci and yellowish-brown, 3-septate, fusiform ascospores with a mucilaginous sheath. A comprehensive characterization and micro-graphs, together with a comparison with other Leptosphaeria species are given.

Neohormodochis septispora D. P. Wei & K. D. Hyde, sp. nov. (Figure 2) Index Fungorum number: IF 559772 Faces of Fungi number: FoF12298 Etymology: The epithet “ septispora ” refers to the septate conidia. Holotype: China, Yunnan Province, Kunming, Panlong district, Kunming Institute of Botany, on an unidentified dead twig, 31 March 2021, Cuijinyi Li, KLCJY54 (HKAS 124171, holotype), (KUNCC 22-10806, ex-type culture). Saprobic on an unidentified dead twigs. Sexual morph: Undetermined. Asexual morph: Conidiomata 165–360 × 140–340 (x̄ = 282 × 252, n = 10) μm, perithecial, immersed, conical to subglobose, white-pruinose, gregarious, with olivaceous green content. Conidiomatal wall 11–30 (x̄ = 19, n = 30) μm, consisting of hyaline, intricate hyphae, being encompassed by a layer of irregularly-shaped crystals. Conidiophores reduced to conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cell 3.5–10 × 0.8–2.4 (x̄ = 7 × 1.6, n = 25) μm, arising from stromatic cells, hyaline, cylindrical, thin-walled, the first conidium becoming conidiogenous by apical wall-building to form connected chain. Conidia 7.6–12 × 2–3.8 (x̄ = 9.5 × 3.3, n = 40) μm, hyaline, ellipsoidal, two-celled, occasionally asepate, slightly curved, arranged in branched chain. Culture characteristics: isolates were obtained from germinating conidia. Colony slow-growing, reaching 2 cm after 8 weeks on PDA, white, circular, mycelia dense, velvety, reverse creamy-yellow. Additional materials examined: China, Yunnan Province, Kunming, Panlong district, Heilongtan Park, 31 March 2021, Cuijinyi Li, HLCJY57 (HKAS 124172), (KUNCC22-10807, living culture); HLCJY58 (HKAS 124174), (KUNCC22-10808, living culture); HLCJY59 (HKAS 124173), (KUNCC22-10809, living culture); ibid. Songhuaba reservoir, 11 December 2021, De-Ping Wei, SHB1225 (HKAS 124170), (KUNCC22-10810, living culture). Notes: Phylogenetically, Neohormodochis septispora has a sister affiliation to a clade comprising Hormodochis aggregata, H. melanochlora and H. eucalypti (Figure 1). Morphologically, N. septispora is similar with H. aggregata by catenulate conidia but differs by the hyaline, ellipsodial and septate conidia while it is olivaceous brown, subcylindrical to doliiform, and aseptate in the latter (Crous et al. 2020a). Hormodochis melanochlora is distinct by erumpent, globose, brown conidiomata that are immersed, conical to globose, white-pruinose from N. septispora (Crous et al. 2020a). Hormodochis eucalypti (syn. Phacidiella eucalypt) has dark brown to black conidiomata and subcylindrical to barrel-shaped conidia that are dramatically different from N. septispora (Crous et al. 2007, 2020b)., Published as part of Wei, De-Ping, Gentekaki, Eleni, Wanasinghe, Dhanushka N., Hyde, Kevin D., To-Anun, Chaiwat & Cheewangkoon, Ratchadawan, 2022, Neohormodochis septispora gen. et sp. nov. (Stictidaceae) from Yunnan Province, China, pp. 247-261 in Phytotaxa 573 (2) on pages 254-255, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.573.2.5, http://zenodo.org/record/7349970, {"references":["Crous, P. W., Schumacher, R. K., Wood, A. R. & Groenewald, J. Z. (2020 a) The Genera of Fungi - G 5: Arthrinium, Ceratosphaeria, Dimerosporiopsis, Hormodochis, Lecanostictopsis, Lembosina, Neomelanconium, Phragmotrichum, Pseudomelanconium, Rutola, and Trullula. Fungal Systematics and Evolution 5: 77 - 98. https: // doi. org / 10.3114 / fuse. 2020.05.04","Crous, P. W., Mohammed, C., Glen, M., Verkley, G. J. & Groenewald, J. Z. (2007) Eucalyptus microfungi known from culture. 3. Eucasphaeria and Sympoventuria genera nova, and new species of Furcaspora, Harknessia, Heteroconium and Phacidiella. Fungal Diversity 25: 19 - 36.","Crous, P. W., Wingfield, M. J., Chooi, Y. H., Gilchrist, C. L., Lacey, E., Pitt, J. I., Roets, F., Swart, W. J., Cano-Lira, J. F., Valenzuela-Lopez, N. & Hubka, V. (2020 b) Fungal Planet description sheets: 1042 - 1111. Persoonia: Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of Fungi 44: 301 - 459. https: // doi. org / 10.3767 / persoonia. 2020.44.11"]}

Phacidiella kunmingensis D.P. Wei and K.D. Hyde, sp. nov. (Figure 2) Index Fungorum number: IF559773; Facesoffungi number: FoF 12296. Etymology: The specific epithet is derived from Kunming City, Yunnan Province, China Saprobic on dead twigs. Sexual morph: Apothecia 400–650 × 350–450 (x̄ = 510× 407, n = 5) μm, clustered, immersed, cupulate, opening by a finely large pore. Margin entire to lacerate, white-pruinose, turnup outward. Disc deeply immersed, yellow, splitting away from the margin when dry. Exciple 50–120 (x̄ = 85, n = 30) μm, four-layered, with 1) a prominent accessory thalline margin, 2) a wall extended from subhymenium, of hyaline, thick-walled cell of textura angularis, 3) a crystalliferous layer where crystals are abundant particularly in the upper part and 4) a compact periphysoidal layer (10–17 (x̄ = 13, n = 20) μm) perpendicularly lined with the crystalliferous layer. Subhymenium 30– 45 (x̄ = 36, n = 30) μm, of hyaline, angular cells, J-. Paraphyses 1–2 (x̄ = 1.5, n = 35) μm in width, filiform, numerous, aseptate, apically branched, enlarged, circinate, J- or faintly J +, not gelatinous, as long as asci. Marginal paraphyses not observed. Asci 200–260 × 4.5–7.5 (x̄ = 233 × 5.8, n = 25) μm, eight-spored, cylindrical, slightly tapering toward the base, thick-walled, with a thick apex. Ascus cap 3.5–5 × 3–5 (x̄ = 4.2 × 3.9, n = 20) μm, round, pierced by a pore. Ascospores 125–230 × 1–1.8 (x̄ = 184 × 1.3, n = 20) μm, filiform, multiseptate, flexuous, non-disarticulating, no contraction at septa, the interval cell 4.8–10 (x̄ = 6.6, n = 35) μm in length. Asexual morph: Undetermined. Culture characteristics: Spores were germinated at 25 °C after two days. Colonies on PDA growing slowly, reaching 2.2 cm in diameter after 53 days. The colony was pale creamy yellow at center and white at the periphery. It was circular, cotton, slightly raised, with an entire margin and dense mycelia, reverse yellow, with radiation stripes. No pigments were produced in agar. Material examined: China, Yunnan Province, Kunming City, Panlong district, forest near Songhuaba reservoir, 11 December 2021, on dead twigs of an unidentified deciduous host, De-Ping Wei, SHB1226 a (HKAS 124175, holotype), (KUNCC 22-10811, ex-type living culture), ibid. SHB1226 b (HKAS 124176), (KUNCC 22-10812, living culture). Notes: BLASTn results (accessed on 18 May 2022) of the LSU sequence of Phacidiella kunmingensis revealed 95.5% similarity to P. alsophilae (accession no. MT373344), 94% to P. podocarpi (accession no. NG_058118) and 96% to Fitzroyomyces yunnanensis (accession no. MZ781317). The ITS sequence revealed 88.35% similarity to P. alsophilae (accession no. MT373361), 84.68% to P. podocarpi (accession no. KP004453), and 82.11% to Fitzroyomyces cyperacearum (accession no. MK499349). The mtSSU sequence revealed 92.06% similarity to Fitzroyomyces hyaloseptisporus (accession no. MZ868911), 92.21% to F. yunnanensis (accession no. MZ781329) and 88.89% to Carestiella socia (accession no. AY661678). In the phylogenetic tree, Phacidiella kunmingensis is sister to P. alsophilae and P. podocarpi with strong support (98% MLBS/ 100% PP, Figure 1). It is impossible to compare the morphology of P. kunmingensis with known Phacidiella species because the latter are known exclusively from their asexual morphs. A nucleotide comparison between P. kunmingensis and P. alsophilae shows that there are 69 bp differences (including 32 gaps) and 86 bp differences (including 27 gaps) across 1003 bp of LSU and 735 bp of ITS region, respectively. Phacidiella kunmingensis differs from P. podocarpi in 90 bp (including 51 gaps) in the LSU (1035 bp) and 139 bp (including 38 gaps) in the ITS (820 bp)., Published as part of Wei, De-Ping, Gentekaki, Eleni, Wanasinghe, Dhanushka N., Hyde, Kevin D., To-Anun, Chaiwat & Cheewangkoon, Ratchadawan, 2022, Taxonomy and morphology of Phacidiella kunmingensis sp. nov. (Stictidaceae) from southwest China, pp. 70-84 in Phytotaxa 573 (1) on page 78, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.573.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/7329515

Phacidiella P. Karst., Hedwigia 23: 85 (1884) amended Saprobic on various plants i.e. Asteraceae (Artemisia vulgaris), Rubiaceae (Asperula asperne), Myrtaceae (Eucalyptus sp.), Podocarpaceae (Podocarpus latifolius), Salicaceae (Salix caprea, S. viminalis), and Vitaceae (Vitis vinifera) (Li et al. 2020). Sexual morph: Apothecia clustered, immersed, cupulate, opening by a finely large pore. Margin entire to lacerate, white-pruinose, turnup outward. Disc deeply immersed, yellow, splitting away from the margin when dry. Exciple, four-layered; 1) prominent accessory thalline margin, 2) wall extended from subhymenium, of hyaline, thickwalled cell of textura angularis, 3) crystalliferous layer where crystals are abundant particularly in the upper part and 4) compact periphysoidal layer that perpendicularly lined with the crystalliferous layer. Subhymenium comprised of hyaline, angular cells, J-. Paraphyses filiform, numerous, aseptate, apically branched, enlarged, circinate, J- or faintly J +, not gelatinous, as long as asci. Asci eight-spored, cylindrical, slightly tapering toward the base, thick-walled, with a thick apex. Ascus cap round, pierced by a pore. Ascospores filiform, multiseptate, flexuous, non-disarticulating, no contraction at septa. Asexual morph: see Sutton (1980) and Li et al. (2020). Type species: Phacidiella salicina P. Karst., Hedwigia 23: 85 (1884) Notes: The nomenclature and composition of Phacidiella have been subjected to multiple revisions and ultimately six asexual species remain in this genus (Smerlis 1962, Li et al. 2020). Historically, the sexual morph of Phacidiella has been linked to Phacidiopycnis (syn. Potebniamyces) (Smerlis 1962, Johnston et al. 2014) and Pyrenopeziza (Sutton 1980), but these connections have not been verified by cultures and molecular data. Potebniamyces is characterized by ellipsoidal to globose, carbonaceous apothecia, cylindrical asci and guttulate, aseptate, ellipsoidal-fusoid ascospores. Pyrenopeziza is a speciose genus, containing more than 300 epithets, while the comprehensive taxonomic analysis of this genus is lacking (Crous et al. 2017). Pyrenopeziza was featured with blackish, cupulate, hairy apothecia, cylindricalclavate asci, aseptate, ellipsoidal-clavate ascospores (Fuckel 1870). In this study, we have obtained a collection from China, which was isolated from its sexual morph. In the DNA-based sequence data analyses of combined ITS, LSU, mtSSU and rpb2 sequences, the new taxon forms a clade with P. alsophilae and P. podocarpi. Thus, we determine the taxonomic placement of our new taxa in this genus and amended the generic description to accommodate its sexual morphic characteristics. The ascospore morphology of our new species is filiform, multiseptate, dramatically differing from those in Phacidiopycnis and Pyrenopeziza. The findings suggest that Phacidiella is not congeneric with Phacidiopycnis and Pyrenopeziza., Published as part of Wei, De-Ping, Gentekaki, Eleni, Wanasinghe, Dhanushka N., Hyde, Kevin D., To-Anun, Chaiwat & Cheewangkoon, Ratchadawan, 2022, Taxonomy and morphology of Phacidiella kunmingensis sp. nov. (Stictidaceae) from southwest China, pp. 70-84 in Phytotaxa 573 (1) on page 75, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.573.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/7329515, {"references":["Li, W. J., McKenzie, E. H., Liu, J. K. J., Bhat, D. J., Dai, D. Q., Camporesi, E., Tian, Q., Maharachchikumbura, S. S., Luo, Z. L., Shang, Q. J. & Zhang, J. F. (2020) Taxonomy and phylogeny of hyaline-spored coelomycetes. Fungal Diversity 100: 279 - 801. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / s 13225 - 020 - 00440 - y","Sutton, B. C. (1980) The Coelomycetes: Fungi imperfecti with pycnidia, acervuli and stromata. Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Kew, 696 pp.","Smerlis, E. (1962) Taxonomy and morphology of Potebniamyces balsamicola sp. nov. associated with a twig and branch blight of balsam fir in Quebec. Canadian Journal of Botany 40: 351 - 359. https: // doi. org / 10.1139 / b 62 - 034","Johnston, P. R., Seifert, K. A., Stone, J. K., Rossman, A. Y. & Marvanova, L. (2014) Recommendations on generic names competing for use in Leotiomycetes (Ascomycota). IMA Fungus 5: 91 - 120. https: // doi. org / 10.5598 / imafungus. 2014.05.01.11","Crous, P. W., Wingfield, M. J., Burgess, T. I., Carnegie, A. J., Hardy, G. E. StJ., Smith, D., Summerell, B. A., Cano-Lira, J. F., Guarro, J., Houbraken, J., Lombard, L., Martin, M. P., Sandoval-Denis, M., Alexandrova, A. V., Barnes, C. W., Baseia, I. G., Bezerra, J. D. P., Guarnaccia, V., May, T. W., Hernandez-Restrepo, M., Stchigel, A. M., Miller, A. N., Ordonez, M .. E, Abreu, V. P., Accioly, T., Agnello, C., Agustin Colman, A., Albuquerque, C. C., Alfredo, D. S., Alvarado, P., Araujo-Magalhaes, G. R., Arauzo, S., Atkinson, Thomas., Barili, A., Barreto, R. W., Bezerra, J. L., Cabral, T. S., Camello Rodriguez, F., Cruz, R. H. S. F., Daniels, P. P., da Silva, B. D. B., de Almeida, D. A. C., de Carvalho Junior, A. A., Decock, C. A., Delgat, L., Denman, S., Dimitrov, R. A., Edwards, J., Fedosova, A. G., Ferreira, R. J., Firmino, A. L., Flores, J. A., Garcia, D., Gene, J., Giraldo, A., Gois, J. S., Gomes, A. A. M., Goncalves, C. M., Gouliamova, D. E., Groenewald, M., Gueorguiev, B. V., Guevara-Suarez, M., Gusmao, L. F. P., Hosaka, K., Hubka, V., Huhndorf, S. M., Jadan, M., Jurjevic, Z., Kraak, B., Kucera, V., Kumar, T. K. A., Kusan, I., Lacerda, S. R., Lamlertthon, S., Lisboa, W. S., Loizides, M., Luangsa-ard, J. J., Lyskova, P., Mac Cormack, W. P., Macedo, D. M., Machado, A. R., Malysheva, E. F., Marinho, P., Matocec, N., Meijer, M., Mesic, A., Mongkolsamrit, S., Moreira, K. A., Morozova, O. V., Nair, K. U., Nakamura, N., Noisripoom, W., Olariaga, I., Oliveira, R. J. V., Paiva, L. M., Pawar, P., Pereira, O. L., Peterson, S. W., Prieto, M., Rodriguez-Andrade, E., Rojo De Blas, C., Roy, M., Santos, E. S., Sharma, R., Silva, G. A., Souza-Motta, C. M., Takeuchi-Kaneko, Y., Tanaka, C., Thakur, A., Smith, M. T. H., Tkalcec, Z., Valenzuela- Lopez, N., van der Kleij, P., Verbeken, A., Viana, M. G., Wang, X. W. & Groenewald, J. Z. (2017) Fungal Planet description sheets: 625 - 715. Persoonia 39: 270 - 467. https: // doi. org / 10.3767 / persoonia. 2017.39.11","Fuckel, L. (1870) Symbolae mycologicae. Beitrage zur Kenntniss der Rheinischen Pilze. Jahrbucher des Nassau Vereins fur Naturkd 23 - 24: 1 - 459. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 47117"]}