Morphological and phylogenetic analyses reveal two new species of the Fusarium fujikuroi (Hypocreales, Nectriaceae) species complex in China

The <i>Fusariumfujikuroi</i> species complex (FFSC) encompasses a diverse array of more than 80 phylogenetic species with both phytopathological and clinical importance. A stable taxonomy is crucial for species in the FFSC due to their economical relevance. Fungal strains used in this study were obtained from <i>Castaneamollissima</i> and <i>Rubuslambertianus</i>, collected from Beijing and Shaanxi Province. We employ morphological and phylogenetic analyses based on partial gene fragments of the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (<i>tef1</i>), beta-tubulin (<i>tub2</i>), calmodulin (<i>CaM</i>), RNA polymerase largest subunit (<i>rpb1</i>), and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (<i>rpb2</i>), as well as the pairwise homoplasy index tests. Studies have shown that these phylospecies are clustered in the Asian clade of the FFSC. The present study delineates two novel <i>Fusarium</i> species within the FFSC, named <i>F.castaneophilum</i> and <i>F.rubicola</i>, complemented by illustrations and descriptions.