Four novel species of Pleurotheciaceae collected from freshwater habitats in Jiangxi Province, China

During an investigation of fungal diversity from freshwater environments in different regions in Jiangxi Province, China, four interesting species were collected. Morphology coupled with combined gene analysis of an ITS, LSU, SSU, and <i>rpb2</i> DNA sequence data showed that they belong to the family <i>Pleurotheciaceae</i>. Four new species, <i>Pleurotheciella ganzhouensis</i>, <i>Pla. irregularis</i>, <i>Pla. verrucosa</i>, and <i>Pleurothecium jiangxiense</i> are herein described. <i>Pleurotheciella ganzhouensis</i> is characterized by its capsule-shaped conidia and short conidiophores, while <i>Pla. irregularis</i> has amorphous conidiophores and 3-septate conidia. <i>Pleurotheciella verrucosa</i> has cylindrical or verrucolose conidiogenous cells, 1-septate, narrowly fusiform, meniscus or subclavate conidia. <i>Pleurothecium jiangxiense</i> characterized in having conidiogenous cells with dense cylindrical denticles and short conidiophores. <i>Pleurothecium obovoideum</i> was transferred to <i>Neomonodictys</i> based on phylogenetic evidence. All species are compared with other similar species and comprehensive descriptions, micrographs, and phylogenetic data are provided.