Phylogenomic, Morphological, and Phylogenetic Evidence Reveals Five New Species and Two New Host Records of Nectriaceae (Hypocreales) from China

TL;DR

This study identifies five new fungal species and two new host records in China, improving understanding of fungal biodiversity and taxonomy.

Contribution

Five new species and two new host records of Nectriaceae fungi are described using integrative phylogenomic and morphological methods.

Findings

Five new species (F. dracaenophilum, F. puerense, F. wenshanense, N. alboflava, and N. fungicola) were identified.

F. qiannanense and N. solani were recorded from new host species.

Phylogenomic analysis confirmed distinct taxonomic boundaries between Fusarium and Neocosmospora.

Abstract

Fusarium and Neocosmospora are widely distributed in natural environments and include species that are both beneficial and pathogenic. However, their overlapping morphological and ecological characteristics have posed a challenge to the delimitation of species. In this study, 22 fungal strains, isolated from diverse hosts including plants, insects, and entomopathogenic fungi, were analyzed using an integrative approach that combined morphological and molecular data. As a result, five new species were described, and two new host record species were reported. Phylogenomic evidence further confirmed the distinct taxonomic boundaries between Fusarium and Neocosmospora. These findings contribute to our understanding of the biodiversity and evolution of fusarioid fungi.

Fusarioid fungi, members of the Nectriaceae within the Hypocreales (Ascomycota), exhibit diverse ecological roles and possess complex phylogenetic relationships, including endophytic, saprophytic, and pathogenic lifestyles. Among them, the genera Fusarium and Neocosmospora are particularly significant in agriculture and medicine. However, the boundaries between their species remain taxonomically contentious. In this study, 22 representative isolates from plant, fungal, and insect hosts were subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic approach that integrated morphological characterization, multilocus phylogenetic analyses, and phylogenomic analysis based on 4,941 single-copy orthologous genes. Consequently, five new species (F. dracaenophilum, F. puerense, F. wenshanense, N. alboflava, and N. fungicola) were described, and F. qiannanense and N. solani were recorded from new host species. The resulting phylogenomic tree topology was highly congruent with the multilocus phylogeny, providing robust support for the taxonomic distinction between Fusarium and Neocosmospora. This study provides new insights into the taxonomy of fusarioid fungi and has important implications for plant disease management, biodiversity conservation, and the study of fungal evolution.

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