Morpho-phylogenetic evidence reveals four novel species of Coniella (Diaporthales, Schizoparmaceae) from southern China

<i>Coniella</i> species are distributed worldwide and have been reported as plant pathogens, endophytes, or saprobes. In our ongoing survey of terrestrial plant fungi in southern China, we obtained <i>Coniella</i> isolates from diseased plant leaf tissues in Fujian, Hainan, and Yunnan provinces. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference based on four loci (ITS, LSU, <i>rpb2</i>, and <i>tef1-α</i>) were used to clarify the taxonomic placement of the species. We confirmed that they represent four new species, namely <i>Conielladiaoluoshanensis</i>, <i>C.dongshanlingensis</i>, <i>C.grossedentatae</i>, and <i>C.veri</i> based on both morphology and phylogeny support. The new species are compared with other <i>Coniella</i> species, comprehensive descriptions and micrographs are provided.