Morphology and molecular analyses reveal three new species of Botryosphaeriales isolated from diseased plant branches in China.

The Botryosphaeriales represents an ecologically diverse group of fungi, comprising endophytes, saprobes, and plant pathogens. In this study, taxonomic analyses were conducted based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses of multi-gene sequence data from four loci (ITS, LSU, tef1 -α, and tub2 ). Thirteen isolates obtained from Beijing and Yunnan Province were identified as seven species of Botryosphaeriales, including Aplosporellajaveedii , Dothiorellaalpina , Phaeobotryonaplosporum and Ph.rhois , and three previously undescribed species, namely Aplosporellayanqingensis , Dothiorellabaihuashanensis , and Phaeobotryonplatycladi . Additionally, the new records of Dothiorellaalpina from the host species Populusszechuanica , Phaeobotryonaplosporum from Juglansmandshurica , and Phaeobotryonrhois from Populusalbavar.pyramidalis are included.