Fusarium guiyangense sp. nov. (Nectriaceae, Hypocreales), a novel species from bamboo in China

Abstract

Fusarium species within the Fusarium incarnatum–equiseti species complex (FIESC) comprise a diverse group of fungi with pathogenic, endophytic, and saprobic lifestyles. During a survey of fungal diversity associated with bamboo in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, China, a Fusarium species was isolated from dead bamboo culms. Morphological observations combined with multilocus phylogenetic analyses based on calmodulin (cal), RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2), β-tubulin (tub2), and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1) sequence data demonstrated that the isolates represent a previously undescribed species, Fusarium guiyangense sp. nov. Phylogenetic analyses placed the new taxon as a distinct and well-supported lineage within the FIESC. Morphologically, F. guiyangense is distinguished from its closest relatives by producing macroconidia with a broader septation range (1–8 septa) and consistently forming chlamydospores. The recognition of F. guiyangense expands the known diversity of the FIESC and contributes to a better understanding of species diversity and taxonomy within this complex.