<i>Colletotrichum hydei</i> sp. nov. and New Geographical and Host Records of Endophytic Fungi from Freshwater Plants in Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka

This study highlights the diversity and ecological importance of freshwater endophytic fungi in Ratnapura district, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. Freshwater plant samples were collected from Chandrika tank (Embilipitiya), a seasonal pond at Haughton Estate (Kalawana), and Thiniyamita stream (Wewelkandura). Six endophytic species were isolated associated with different freshwater plants. These endophytes comprised of four Colletotrichum species C. hydei sp. nov. (RUFCC24116) and C. chlorophyti (RUFCC24117) from Vallisneria americana ; C. chlorophyti (RUFCC241117) and C. vittalense (RUFCC241112) from Nymphaea pubescens ; C. truncatum (RUFCC241119) from Lagenandra ovata ); Daldinia eschscholtzii (RUFCC24114) from Hydrilla verticillata ; and Nigrospora lacticolonia (RUFCC24115) from Persicaria glabra . Multi‐locus phylogenetic analyses were used for species delimitation, based on ITS, GAPDH , ACT , CHS‐1 , and tub2 gene regions for Colletotrichum species; ITS, LSU, and rpb2 for Daldinia eschscholtzii ; and ITS and tef 1‐ α for Nigrospora lacticolonia . These results provide important insights into fungal host range and biodiversity at the global level.