During a survey of keratinolytic fungi in China, a new species, Arthrographis multiformispora was isolated from soil samples. Morphologically, A. multiformispora differs from other species in the genus by the presence of globose or subglobose chlamydospores and cylindrical arthroconidia. Phylogenetically, our four strains were clustered together with high support values and separated from other clades. We provided a description, illustrations, and phylogenetic tree for the new species.

As China’s urbanisation continues to advance, more people are choosing to live in cities. However, this trend has a significant impact on the natural ecosystem. For instance, the accumulation of keratin-rich substrates in urban habitats has led to an increase in keratinophilic microbes. Despite this, there is still a limited amount of research on the prevalence of keratinophilic fungi in urban areas. Fortunately, our group has conducted in-depth investigations into this topic since 2015. Through our research, we have discovered a significant amount of keratinophilic fungi in soil samples collected from various urban areas in China. In this study, we have identified and characterised 18 new species through the integration of morphological and phylogenetic analyses. These findings reveal the presence of numerous unexplored fungal taxa in urban habitats, emphasising the need for further taxonomic research in urban China.