Taxonomic novelties of soil-inhabiting pleosporalean fungi in Thailand using baiting method

Ascomycota exhibit a cosmopolitan distribution across soil ecosystems, with notably higher diversity in tropical forests. The climatic and edaphic conditions in the natural forests of Thailand create a favorable niche for soil-dwelling Ascomycota. This study explores cellulophilic and keratinophilic pleosporalean taxa in tropical forest soils of Thailand. Species isolation was conducted using the soil baiting method, followed by a polyphasic approach for species identification. This included morphological characterization and phylogenetic analyses using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. The study identifies a new species, Neptunomyces soli (Didymosphaeriaceae) and a new habitat record for Curvularia dactylocteniicola (Pleosporaceae). The species are presented with comprehensive descriptions and micrographs, and their potential cellulophilic and keratinophilic characteristics are discussed.