Three new species of Neopestalotiopsis and Pseudopestalotiopsis (Sporocadaceae, Amphisphaeriales) associated with shrub leaf diseases from Fujian, China

Abstract

Neopestalotiopsis and Pseudopestalotiopsis are classified as pestalotioid fungi, include a diverse range of plant pathogenic, endophytic and saprobic species and are widely distributed in tropical and temperate climates. These fungi are associated with a wide variety of plants worldwide and are exemplified by multi-septate conidia with appendages at both ends. Phytopathogenic members cause various plant diseases, for example, leaf spot, fruit rot, canker, blight and various infections affecting palm, mango, blueberry, tea and other important crops.

In this study, six isolates were collected from diseased leaves of Litsea verticillata, Ixora chinensis and an unidentified shrub in Fujian Province, China. Based on morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic analyses of combined nucleotide sequences of internal transcribed spacer regions of rDNA (ITS), the partial translation elongation factor 1 - alpha gene (tef 1) and partial beta-tubulin gene (tub 2), three new species Neopestalotiopsis litseae sp. nov., Neo. longqishanensis sp. nov. and Pseudopestalotiopsis zhangzhouensis sp. nov. are described and illustrated herein.