Expanding the genus Neobaryopsis (Calcarisporiaceae, Hypocreales): descriptions of two new species and two new combinations based on morphological and molecular data

The genus <i>Neobaryopsis</i> (Calcarisporiaceae) comprises lichenicolous fungi with bright-colored perithecia, long, multiseptate, filiform ascospores, and mononematous conidiophores or distinctive synnematous-like asexual morphs. The genus was originally described from species growing on <i>Lobariella</i> spp., but its close morphological similarity to <i>Neobarya</i> long obscured its phylogenetic identity. In this study, we reassess the systematics of <i>Neobarya</i>-like taxa using a combination of morphological and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses (ITS, LSU, <i>tef1</i>, <i>rpb2</i>). Our results confirm that several lichenicolous species historically placed in <i>Neobarya</i> in fact belong to the genus <i>Neobaryopsis</i>, which is closely related to <i>Calcarisporium</i>. We describe two new species (<i>Neobaryopsis eriodermaticola</i> and <i>N. teloschistis</i>) and propose two new combinations (<i>Neobaryopsis ciliaris</i> and <i>N. peltigerae</i>). This work expands the genus <i>Neobaryopsis</i> to five recently accepted species, some of which exhibit strong host specificity and a primarily South American distribution. An identification key for species of <i>Neobaryopsis</i> and <i>Neobarya</i>-like fungi is provided. Our results clarify the systematics of these morphologically similar lichenicolous fungi and provide a framework for future studies on host specificity, biogeography, and evolutionary relationships within Hypocreales.