China Yields Five New Absidia, One Gongronella, and Other Fungi

Recent research published in the open‑access journal MycoKeys has added several new fungal taxa to science. In volume 136, authors Fei Li et al. described six novel species within the Cunninghamellaceae family. Five belong to the genus Absidia—A. guangxiensis, A. heilongjiangensis, A. hubeiensis, A. longisporangiophora, and A. myceliosa—and one belongs to Gongronella (G. globospora) ¹.net]. Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU, ITS, LSU, TEF1α, and act sequences placed these species into distinct clades, highlighting morphological differences such as broad apophyses or large projections that help separate closely related genera.

Another study from the same issue introduced a completely new genus and species, Drechslerosporium cornellii. The fungus was isolated from decaying plant litter at Cornell Plantations in Ithaca, New York, and is assigned to the Basidiobolaceae family. Its unique morphology includes retained conidiophore appendages after rupture of the apical swelling and direct development of digitate chlamydospores from primary conidia—features not seen in other members of its family ¹.net].

The third article focused on fungi associated with the invasive grass Arundo donax in Jiangxi Province, China. Researchers YinRu Xiong et al. collected samples from wetlands and identified two saprobic isolates: Lentimurispora arundinis and Stachylidium arundinis, described using multigene phylogeny (ITS, LSU, tef1‑α, rpb2) ¹.net]. These findings illustrate how host plants can shape local mycological communities and may inform biocontrol or bioremediation strategies for managing invasive species.

Expert commentary notes that these discoveries deepen our understanding of fungal biodiversity and evolutionary relationships within Cunninghamellaceae, Basidiobolaceae, and saprobic taxa. They also suggest potential applications in agriculture, sustainable land management, and ecological research by revealing new morphological traits and genetic lineages that could guide future studies into fungal biology and ecology.