New Records of Two Unreported Fungal Species: Cladophialophora floridana and Chloridium setosum Isolated from Soil in Korea

During an exploration of fungal diversity in Korean soil, this study isolated two fungal strains, designated KNUF-23-321L and KNUF-23-314, and identified them as previously unrecorded species. Morphological and cultural features were examined for initial classification. The characteristics of strains KNUF-23-321L and KNUF-23-314 matched those of Cladophialophora floridana SR3028T, and Chloridium setosum CGMCC 3.20741T, respectively. To further pinpoint their identities and evolutionary relationships, molecular phylogenetic analyses were conducted using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions and 28S rDNA large subunit (LSU) on strain KNUF-23-321L which showed high similarity of 98.6 and 100%, respectively, with strain C. floridana SR3028T. For the strain KNUF-23-314, it showed a high similarity of 100% with strain Ch. setosum CBS 263.76A with both ITS regions and LSU genes. These combined morphological and phylogenetical analyses revealed that KNUF-23-321L was identified as C. floridana, and KNUF-23-314 was identified as Ch. setosum. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first reports of C. floridana and Ch. setosum in Korea.