Two new pestalotioid fungi from tropical fruits in Iran

In a survey of tropical plant diseases in southern and southeastern Iran, samples of diseased <i>Mangiferaindica</i> and <i>Psidiumguava</i> leaves with necrotic symptoms were collected between 2021 and 2022. Six representative isolates of <i>Neopestalotiopsis</i> and <i>Robillarda</i> (three isolates for each) were studied using morphological characteristics as well as multi-locus phylogenetic analysis based on (i) the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the nuclear rDNA, (ii) part of the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (<i>tef1</i>), and (iii) the β-tubulin (<i>tub2</i>). After morphological investigation, our phylogenetic analysis revealed that the <i>Neopestalotiopsis</i> and <i>Robillarda</i> isolates under study differed from all previously described species within these genera. Based on our polyphasic approach, two new species, including <i>Neopestalotiopsisguava</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> from necrotic <i>Mangiferaindica</i> and <i>Robillardakhodaparastii</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> from <i>Psidiumguava</i> are described and illustrated from Iran.