Two Previously Unrecorded Endophytic Fungal Species in the Order Pleosporales from Korea

We isolated endophytic fungi from the leaves of Quercus acutissima Carruth and the stems of Rhododendron mucronulatum Turcz. These fungi were characterized morphologically and subjected to molecular phylogenetic analyses using internal transcribed spacer, large subunit rDNA, translation elongation factor-1-α, the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II, and β-tubulin sequences. We accordingly identified two endophytic fungi, Didymella coffeae-arabicae and Austropleospora keteleeriae, in the order Pleosporales, which have not previously been recorded in Korea. Herein, we described the morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic analyses of these two endophytic fungi, contributing to our understanding of fungal diversity in Korea. Our findings highlight the significance of endophytic fungi in ecological study and their potential utility as a source of novel bioactive compounds.