Isolation and characterization of novel Dothideomycetes species from forest soils in Chiang Rai and Krabi (Thailand): additions to the diversity of Curvularia and Verruconis Author Erandi Yasanthika, W. A. 0000-0002-3757-3801 School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100, Thailand & Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100, Thailand & Innovative Institute of Plant Health, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guang Dong Province, People’s Republic of China & eyasanthika @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 3757 - 3801 eyasanthika@gmail.com Author Tennakoon, Danushka S. 0000-0003-2306-1255 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand & Research Center of Microbial Diversity and Sustainable Utilization, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand & danushkasandaruwanatm @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 2306 - 1255 danushkasandaruwanatm@gmail.com Author Gomes De Farias, Antonio R. 0000-0003-4768-1547 Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100, Thailand & rfariasagro @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 4768 - 1547 rfariasagro@gmail.com Author Thilini Chethana, K. W. 0000-0002-5816-9269 School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100, Thailand & Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100, Thailand & kandawatte. thi @ mfu. ac. th; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 5816 - 9269 kandawatte.thi@mfu.ac.th Author Bhat, D. Jayarama 0000-0002-3800-5910 Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P. O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia & Formerly, Department of Botany, Goa University, Goa, India; House No. 128 / 1 - J, Azad Co-Op Housing Society, Curca, P. O. Goa Velha- 403108, India & bhatdj @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 3800 - 5910 bhatdj@gmail.com Author Wanasinghe, Dhanushka N. 0000-0003-1759-3933 Center for Mountain Futures, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Science, Honghe County 654400, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China & dnadeeshan @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 1759 - 3933 dnadeeshan@gmail.com text Phytotaxa 2023 2023-08-17 609 1 17 44 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.609.1.3 journal article 10.11646/phytotaxa.609.1.3 1179-3163 8254582 Curvularia chiangmaiensis Y. Marín, Senwanna & Crous, Mycosphere 8: 1565 (2017) Index Fungorum number : IF822082, Faces of Fungi number : FoF 12887, FIGURE 4 . FIGURE 4. Curvularia chiangmaiensis (MFLU22-0252, new record) a. Colony from above (on PDA). b. Colony from below (on PDA). c. Sporulated colony with conidial attachments on the mycelium. d. Immature hyphae e. Mature melanized hyphae. f. Hyaline chlamydospores. g . Melanized chlamydospores h. Macronematous conidiogenesis on the conidiophore. i–m. Conidiogenesis. n–s. Conidia. Scale bars: g = 25 μm, d–f, h–l = 20 μm, m–s= 10 μm Asexual morph : Conidiophores 70–180 × 3.5–4 μm (x = 123 × 3.8 μm, n = 20), single, straight or flexuous, septate, sometimes geniculate in the upper part, micronematous to macronematous, mononematous, pale brown to brown, paler towards apex. Conidiogenous cells polytretic, proliferating sympodially, cylindrical to sub-cylindrical, hyaline to pale brown, smooth-walled, terminal, or intercalary. Conidia 14–28 × 9–13 (x = 21 × 11 μm, n = 25) μm, ellipsoidal to obovoid, sometimes curved, slightly verruculose, hyaline to pale brown, (2–)3-distoseptate, hila slightly conspicuous, 1.5–2.5 μm (x = 2). Sexual morph : Undetermined. Culture characteristics:— Colonies on PDA at 25 ℃, flat, irregular margin, cottony, yellowish brown to black surface, 3.5 cm diam. after 7 days, reverse black center, brownish black at margin. Hyphae 1.5–4 μm (x = 3 μm) wide, often branched, rarely guttulate, smooth to rough-walled, sometimes geniculate, hyaline when immature, and later become pale brown (melanized) to brown, septate. Chlamydospores guttulated, initially hyaline and becoming pale brown to brown (melanized) when mature. Known hosts and substrates:— Zea mays , Saccharum officinarum , and on soil ( Marin-Felix et al. 2017b , Raza et al. 2019 , this study) Known distribution:— China and Thailand ( Marin-Felix et al. 2017b , Raza et al. 2019 , this study). Material examined:— Thailand , Krabi , 8°4’11 “N 98°53’25” E , 181m , on forest soil, 28 October 2019 , W . A . E . Yasanthika ( MFLU 22-0252 ); living culture, MFLUCC 22-0084 Notes— Curvularia chiangmaiensis ( CPC 28829) is initially isolated from Zea mays from Chiang Mai , Thailand ( Marin-Felix et al. 2017b ). In this study, we isolated C. chiangmaiensis ( MFLUCC 22-0084) from forest soils in Thailand . Our collection ( MFLUCC 22-0084) has similar morphological characteristics to the type of C. chiangmaiensis ( CPC 28829) by having cylindrical to sub-cylindrical conidiogenous cells and curved, ellipsoidal to obovoid (2–)3-distoseptate conidia ( Marin-Felix et al. 2017b ). The conidial length-width ratio in both C. chiangmaiensis ( CPC 28829) and our collection ( MFLUCC 22-0084) are similar (1.9) ( Marin-Felix et al. 2017b ). However, our collection has comparatively shorter conidiophores (76–177 μm vs 2000 μm) ( Marin-Felix et al. 2017b ). These intra-species morphological variations can result from host specialization ( Francisco et al. 2019 ). According to the multigene phylogenetic results herein, our collection ( MFLUCC 22-0084) grouped with C. chiangmaiensis strains ( CPC 28829, LC12044, LC 12030) with 94% ML , 1.00 BYPP bootstrap support. Therefore, based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence, we introduce our collection ( MFLUCC 22-0084) as a new geographical record of C. chiangmaiensis from Thailand . Interestingly, this is the first record of this species from the soil.