J Syst Evol

• Research Article •    

The polyphasic approach reveals ten novel and one known Ascomycota taxa from terrestrial agarwood-producing trees

Tian-Ye Du1,2,3, Saowaluck Tibpromma1*, Kevin D. Hyde2,3, Ausana Mapook2, Dong-Qin Dai1, Gui-Qing Zhang1, Steven L. Stephenson4, Nakarin Suwannarach5, Jaturong Kumla5, Abdallah M. Elgorban6, Kunhiraman C. Rajeshkumar7, Sajeewa S.N. Maharachchikumbura8, Qiang Li1, Samantha C. Karunarathna1,9*   

  1. 1Center for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, College of Biological Resource and Food Engineering, Qujing Normal University, Qujing 655011, China
    2Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand
    3School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand
    4Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
    5Research Center of Microbial Diversity and Sustainable Utilization, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
    6Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
    7National Fungal Culture Collection of India (NFCCI), Biodiversity and Palaeobiology (Fungi) Gr, MACS Agharkar Research Institute, G. G. Agarkar Road, Pune, Maharashtra 411004, India
    8School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
    9National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Hantane Road, Kandy 2000, Sri Lanka

    *Authors for correspondenc. Samantha C. Karunarathna. E-mail: samanthakarunarathna@gmail.com (S.C.K.); Saowaluck Tibpromma. E-mail: saowaluckfai@gmail.com (S.T.)
  • Received:2024-02-02 Accepted:2024-07-03

Abstract: Aquilaria (Thymelaeaceae), a tropical and subtropical plant, is one of the main genera that can produce agarwood. Aquilaria sinensis and A. yunnanensis are native Chinese tree species, and A. sinensis is China's main agarwood source. Agarwood is a non-timber forest product with high economic and medicinal value. First-grade agarwood is sold as much as $100,000 per kilogram. There has been little research on the saprobic fungi associated with Aquilaria, with only eleven records having been reported. In the present study, ten terrestrial saprobic fungi associated with A. sinensis and A. yunnanensis were collected in China. Based on morphological and phylogenetic studies, these ten collections are introduced herein as one new genus (Aquilariomyces), nine new species—Aquilariomyces aquilariae, Corynespora aquilariae, Melomastia maomingensis, Nigrograna aquilariae, Parathyridariella aquilariae, Peroneutypa maomingensis, Phaeoseptum aquilariae, Pseudothyridariella aquilariae, and Triangularia aquilariae, and one known species (Camarographium clematisidis). Descriptions, illustrations of morphological characteristics, photo plates, phylogenetic trees, and the results of a pairwise homoplasy index test (PHI) test results are provided.

Key words: agarwood fungi,  Aquilaria,  Dothideomycetes, morphology, saprobes, Sordariomycetes, 10 new taxa, Thymelaeaceae