Abstract
As a result of an ongoing research survey of microfungi in Yunnan, China, several saprobic ascomycetes were collected from various host substrates. Preliminary morphological analyses identified a few of these taxa as Periconia species. We obtained DNA sequence data of the Periconia species from pure cultures and investigated their phylogenetic affinities. Phylogenetic analyses of a combined LSU, ITS, SSU and tef1-α sequence dataset demonstrated that five isolates of Periconia formed well-resolved subclades within Periconiaceae. Accordingly, three new Periconia species are introduced viz. P. artemisiae, P. chimonanthi and P. thysanolaenae, and new host and geographical records of P. byssoides and P. pseudobyssoides, are also reported from dead branches of Prunus armeniaca and Scrophularia ningpoensis. Periconia celtidis formed a monophyletic clade with P. byssoides in the present phylogenetic analyses. Results of the pairwise homoplasy index (PHI) test indicated significant recombination between P. byssoides and P. celtidis. Therefore, P. celtidis has been synonymized under P. byssoides. In addition, we re-illustrated and studied the type specimen of the sexual genus Bambusistroma. As a type species of Bambusistroma, B. didymosporum features similar morphology to the sexual morph of Periconia homothallica and P. pseudodigitata. We therefore synonymize Bambusistroma under Periconia based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence. Furthermore, our new isolates produced brown conidia of asexual morph in agar media typical of the genus Noosia. Based on morphological comparison with Periconia in vitro and phylogenetic status of Noosia, we also treat Noosia as a synonym of Periconia. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of three novel taxa and two new records of Periconia byssoides and P. pseudobyssoides as well as the illustration of P. didymosporum comb. nov. are provided. An updated phylogenetic tree of Periconiaceae using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses is constructed. Generic circumscription of Periconia is amended.
Highlights
Periconiaceae Nann. was introduced by Nannizzi [1] and is typified by Periconia Tode
The concatenated internal transcribed spacers (ITS), large subunit nuclear ribosomal DNA (LSU), small subunit nuclear ribosomal DNA (SSU) and tef1-α sequence dataset consisted of 69 strains of representative taxa in Periconiaceae, and the other two related families, Didymosphaeriaceae and Massarinaceae, included five new generated strains
Bambusistroma, Flavomyces and Noosia represented as monotypic genera always grouped with Periconia species
Summary
Periconiaceae Nann. was introduced by Nannizzi [1] and is typified by Periconia Tode. Was introduced by Nannizzi [1] and is typified by Periconia Tode. The family is classified as the suborder Massarineae, order Pleosporales, class Dothideomycetes in Ascomycota [2]. Taxa in this family are well known as saprobes occurring on various hosts worldwide [2,3]. A few species, such as Flavomyces fueloephazae D.G. Knapp et al, Periconia circinata Johnson, were reported as endophytes and pathogens [2,4–6]. Some Periconia species such as P. atropurpurea M.A. Curtis) M.A. Litv., P. byssoides Pers. P. macrospinosa produce valuable bioactive compounds that possess powerful pharmacological activities [2,7–11] Litv., P. byssoides Pers. and P. macrospinosa produce valuable bioactive compounds that possess powerful pharmacological activities [2,7–11]
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