Three new endophytic Apiospora species (Apiosporaceae, Amphisphaeriales) from China

Abstract

Apiospora species are widely distributed fungi with diverse lifestyles, primarily functioning as plant pathogens, as well as exhibiting saprophytic and endophytic behaviors. This study reports the discovery of three new species of Apiospora, namely A. gongcheniae, A. paragongcheniae, and A. neogongcheniae, isolated from healthy Poaceae plants in China. These novel species were identified through a multi-gene phylogenetic analysis. The phylogenetic analysis of the combined ITS, LSU, tef1, and tub2 sequence data revealed that the three new species formed a robustly supported clade with A. garethjonesii, A. neogarethjonesii, A. setostroma, A. subrosea, A. mytilomorpha, and A. neobambusae. Detailed descriptions of the newly discovered species are provided and compared with closely related species to enhance our understanding of the genus Apiospora.