Morphological and phylogenetic characterisation of a plectosphaerellaceous fungus, Sodiomyces sinensis sp. nov.

Abstract

During an investigation of fungal diversity in urban soils in China, four plectosphaerellaceous fungal isolates were obtained. Based on integrated morphological characterization and multigene phylogenetic analyses of four loci (ITS, LSU, rpb2, and tef1), Sodiomyces sinensis sp. nov. is described and illustrated. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that this novel species forms a monophyletic clade with robust support values. Morphologically, S. sinensis can be distinguished from other species within the genus by lacking a known sexual morph, and by its subcylindrical to cylindrical, larger conidia (7.5–15 × 3–4 μm), and the presence of chlamydospores. This study contributes to fungal data from urban soils and enhances understanding of the species diversity, taxonomy, and distribution of Sodiomyces.