Morphological and molecular identification of new species and records of Daldinia (Hypoxylaceae, Xylariales) from Guizhou Province, China

Members of Daldinia are widely distributed and commonly found on decaying wood, branches, and diseased leaves. In this study, four strains of Daldinia were isolated from diseased leaves of Indocalamus hirsutissimus and Rubus idaeus in Guizhou Province, China. Species identification was conducted using combined nuc rDNA ITS 1-5.8 S-ITS 2 (ITS), partial sequences of the large subunit (28 S), RNA polymerase II subunit 2 (rpb 2), and beta- tub ulin (tub 2) sequence data, along with morphological comparisons.

We introduce the new species D. rubi and D. eschscholtzii, accompanied by a new host record on Indocalamus hirsutissimus, supported by both morphological features and molecular evidence. In addition, a comprehensive analysis of D. eschscholtzii ’ s worldwide host distribution revealed that it spans 56 plant families across 31 countries. This study enhances our understanding of the species diversity of Daldinia and its broad host range, providing a new perspective for taxonomic research.