A research team led by Professor Chulong Zhang at the College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, China, investigated dominant endophytic fungi of the order Pleosporales isolated from Poaceae plants collected in Yunnan, Zhejiang, and Inner Mongolia, China. The study, published in Mycology, combined multi-locus phylogenetic analyses with morphological observations to resolve taxonomy and species limits among key pleosporalean endophytes of grasses.
The analysis confirmed that the family Didymosphaeriaceae forms a strongly supported monophyletic group. Within this lineage, the researchers identified multiple well-supported clades corresponding to known genera and detected three clades representing previously unrecognized lineages. Based on morphological study and phylogenetic placement, they described two new genera and three new species: Proxiconiothyrium (with Proxiconiothyrium yunnanense), Chlamydosphaeromyces (with Chlamydosphaeromyces glomeratus), and Neptunomyces yunnanensis.
Periconiaceae also emerged as a strongly supported monophyletic clade. The study found that the previously described taxon Flavomyces fueloephazae nests within Periconia; to preserve the monophyly of Periconia, the authors propose a new combination, Periconia fueloephazae. Focusing on Periconia macrospinosa sensu lato, a widespread dark septate endophyte in grasses known to enhance host stress tolerance and nutrient uptake, the team found the taxon splits into three genetically distinct lineages. Split network analysis and PHI tests supported these separations. Integrating molecular and morphological evidence, the researchers recognized three species: Periconia macrospinosa sensu stricto, Periconia catenata, and Periconia neomacrospinosa. The team also described an additional new Periconia species, Periconia longibrachiatum.
Grasses (Poaceae) are ecologically widespread and of major economic importance. Pleosporales are among the dominant groups of endophytic fungi associated with grasses across diverse habitats. The newly described taxa and clarified species boundaries expand knowledge of Pleosporales diversity, refine taxonomic frameworks, and provide a foundation for future studies on the ecological roles and distribution of endophytic fungi in grasses.
See the article:
Exploring the dominant endophytic pleosporalean fungi in Poaceae plants: taxonomic novelties within the suborder Massarineae
