Two new species of Nigropunctata and the first report of sexual morph of Melanographium citri (Pallidoperidiaceae, Xylariales) from south-western China

Abstract

In our ongoing survey of xylarialean fungi in southern China, we obtained specimens of Nigropunctata and Melanographium from bamboo and palm, respectively. Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference analyses, based on five loci (ITS, LSU, rpb 2, tub 2 and tef- 1 α), were used to clarify the taxonomic placement of these specimens. Our results confirm that the specimens represent two new species Nigropunctata shiwandashanensis and N. puerzhenensis, as well as a new geographical record, Melanographium citri, which represents the first report of the sexual state for this genus.

We provide detailed morphological descriptions and illustrations, as well as a comparison between the new species and related or similar species.