Morphological and phylogenetic evidence reveals Nemania cuneiformis sp. nov. from Guangxi, China

Abstract

A new species of Nemania (Xylariaceae) is described from Guangxi Province, southern China. Nemania is the third-largest genus in the family and includes saprobes, endophytes, and pathogens with a worldwide distribution. During a study of fungal collections from Guangxi, two fungal isolates were analyzed using BLASTn searches and phylogenetic analyses of ITS, LSU, rpb2, and tub2 sequences. These clustered closely with N. paraphysata, but differed in having larger asci, only one type of paraphysis, and distinct ascospore characters. Based on combined morphological and molecular evidence, the fungus is recognized as a new species, Nemania cuneiformis sp. nov. A detailed description, illustrations, and a comparative discussion with closely related species are provided.