New species and records of Cytospora (Cytosporaceae, Diaporthales) from tree branches in Hebei Province, China

Species of Cytospora have been commonly reported as plant pathogens with wide host ranges and geographic distributions. In this study, ten strains of this genus were isolated from branches collected in Hebei Province, China. They were identified based on a multi-locus phylogeny of ITS, act, rpb 2, tef 1 - α, and tub 2 genes, along with morphological characters.

As a result, they were identified as six species, including five known species (C. ampla, C. pseudochrysosperma, C. sophoricola, C. sorbariae, and C. yinchuanensis) and one new species (C. hebeiensis). Among the known species, C. ampla, C. sorbariae, and C. yinchuanensis were newly discovered on Malus spectabilis; C. pseudochrysosperma was newly discovered on Salix matsudana; and C. sophoricola was newly discovered on Caragana microphylla.

The results enrich the diversity of Cytospora species associated with tree canker and dieback diseases in Hebei Province, China.