Two new Periconia species (Pleosporales, Ascomycota) in China

During an investigation of fungal diversity in Guangxi and Yunnan provinces, two interesting hyphomycetes were collected and isolated. Based on morphology, these hyphomycetes were similar to <i>Periconia</i>-like taxa. To confirm their classification, morphological characterization and multigene phylogenetic inference (using LSU, ITS, SSU, and <i>tef</i>1-α) were employed. Based on phylogenetic analyses, our two collections clustered within <i>Periconia</i> (Periconiaceae) as distinct two taxa, and morphological analyses also confirmed that they are new species of <i>Periconia</i>. <i>Periconia guangxiense</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> formed a well-supported monophyletic lineage (92% ML/1.00 PP) sister to <i>P. variicolor</i>, but morphologically, it is distinguishable by its branched, micronematous to semi-macronematous conidiophores. While <i>Periconia xishuangbannaensis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> formed a distinct lineage closely related to <i>P. guangxiense</i>; it is distinguished by its macronematous conidiophores and dark brown conidia. This study highlights the role of unique habitats in driving fungal diversity and contributes to the taxonomic refinement of the <i>Periconia</i> genus.