Taxonomic and Phylogenetic Updates on Apiospora : Introducing Four New Species from Wurfbainia villosa and Grasses in China.

Apiospora , an ascomycetous genus in Apiosporaceae, comprises saprobes, endophytes, and pathogens of humans and plants. They have a cosmopolitan distribution with a wide range of hosts reported from Asia. In the present study, we collected and isolated Apiospora species from Wurfbainia villosa and grasses in Guangdong and Yunnan provinces in China. Multi-locus phylogeny based on the internal transcribed spacer, the large subunit nuclear rDNA, the partial translation elongation factor 1- α , and β-tubulin was performed to clarify the phylogenetic affinities of the Apiospora species. Based on the distinctive morphological characteristics and molecular evidence, Ap . endophytica , Ap . guangdongensis , Ap . wurfbainiae , and Ap . yunnanensis are proposed. Descriptions, illustrations, and notes for the newly discovered species are provided and compared with closely related Apiospora species. An updated phylogeny of Apiospora is presented, along with a discussion on the phylogenetic affinities of ambiguous taxa.