Phylogeny, taxonomy and geographic distribution of novel and known fungi with holoblastic-denticulate conidiogenesis in <i>Rhamphoriales</i> and <i>Pleurotheciales</i> ( <i>Sordariomycetes</i> )

As part of a broader survey of lignicolous saprobic fungi, we investigated fungal taxa from the class <i>Sordariomycetes</i> displaying holoblastic-denticulate conidiogenesis, a distinct developmental process and phylogenetically informative trait. Although these fungi appear morphologically similar in culture, they represent distinct evolutionary lineages. This taxonomic study integrates comparative morphological analyses, phylogenetic reconstruction of five nuclear markers, and analysis of biogeographical patterns through environmental DNA data to introduce novel taxa in the <i>Pleurotheciales</i> and <i>Rhamphoriales</i>. A new genus and species <i>Echinodenticula allantospora</i> and three new species, <i>Phaeoisaria parallela</i>, <i>Rhamphoriopsis cuprea</i> and <i>Rh. denticulata</i>, are described. A rarely encountered species <i>Rhamphoria separata</i> is reported, along with its previously undocumented asexual morph. Furthermore, we successfully demonstrate the utility of two protein-coding genes, <i>rpb2</i> and <i>tef1</i>, as complementary barcodes for distinguishing closely related <i>Phaeoisaria</i> species. Our findings highlight the significance of holoblastic-denticulate conidiogenesis as a diagnostic feature of the <i>Rhamphoriales</i> and a prevalent trait in the <i>Pleurotheciales</i>. An unknown ascomycete that produced only sterile mycelium in culture is described here as <i>Melanocrypta curvata</i> and placed at an incertae sedis position within the <i>Sordariomycetes</i>. Additionally, we present short-read whole-genome sequencing data for the ex-type strains of the newly described species, providing a valuable genomic resource for future taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional studies. Environmental DNA data from the GlobalFungi database bring new perspective into the biogeographical patterns of <i>Phaeoisaria</i>, <i>Rhamphoria</i>, and <i>Rhamphoriopsis</i>. The distribution of <i>E. allantospora</i> and <i>M. curvata</i> remains poorly understood, as no records for these species were found in GlobalFungi. This study provides new insights into the molecular systematics, taxonomy, and biogeography of the <i>Rhamphoriales</i> and <i>Pleurotheciales</i>, and highlights the role of environmental DNA metabarcoding in uncovering fungal diversity and distribution patterns. <b>Citation:</b> Réblová M, Nekvindová J, Hernández-Restrepo M, Hradilová M, Kolařík M (2025). Phylogeny, taxonomy and geographic distribution of novel and known fungi with holoblastic-denticulate conidiogenesis in <i>Rhamphoriales</i> and <i>Pleurotheciales</i> (<i>Sordariomycetes</i>). <i>Persoonia</i> <b>55</b>: 277-311. doi: 10.3114/persoonia.2025.55.08.