Two new species and a new host record of Pleosporales (Dothideomycetes) from palm ( Arecaceae ) in Guangdong Province, China

ABSTRACTPleosporales is the largest order of Ascomycota which is distributed worldwide. Among the wide range of hosts, Pleosporales species are frequently isolated from palms. During the surveys of palm fungi from 2020 to 2021, rotting tissues of Licuala peltata var. sumawongii, Phoenix roebelenii and Trachycarpus fortunei were collected in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. Fungal isolates were identified based on morphological characteristics and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses. In the present study, we introduce two new species viz. Byssosphaeria guangdongense and Paraconiothyrium guangdongensis. In addition, we introduce a new host record for Trachycarpus fortunei. Photo plates, detailed descriptions, and in-depth phylogenetic analysis results are provided for all identified taxa. Our findings expand the understanding of the fungi that are associated with palm hosts. Moreover, our data will contribute to the knowledge of the biodiversity of South China.KEYWORDS: ByssosphaeriaMagnibotryascomaParaconiothyriumphylogenysaprobic fungi2 new species‌ AcknowledgementsWe would like to thank Dr Shaun Pennycook, Nomenclature Editor of Mycotaxon, for his guidance on the species names. Ishara S Manawasinghe would like to thank the Research Project of the Innovative Institute for Plant Health (KA21031H101) and the project of the Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China (KA210319288). Dhanushka Wanasinghe would like to thank CAS President’s International Fellowship Initiative (grant number 2021FYB0005), the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under the project code 32150410362 and the Postdoctoral Fund from Human Resources and Social Security Bureau of Yunnan Province. Biao Xu would like to thank the Innovative team program of the Department of Education of Guangdong Province (2022KCXTD015 and 2022ZDJS020). Zhangyong Dong would like to thank the Key Realm R & D Program of Guangdong Province (2018B020205003).Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationFundingThis research was funded by the High-level Talents at Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, grant no: J2201080102.