New fungal genus, three novel species and one new record from mangroves, with reclassification of Melanconiella (Melanconiellaceae) species

Abstract

Mangrove ecosystems, located in the land-sea interface, host a diverse array of fungi. In this paper, we introduce a novel genus, three novel species and one new record of fungi collected from mangrove environments in Pranburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand. We establish Pseudomelanconiella as a new genus in Melanconiellaceae, to accommodate Pseudomelanconiella mangrovei, a saprobe from submerged decomposing wood of Avicennia marina. Phylogenetic analysis indicates its close relation with Septomelanconiella, but they differ in the morphology of the conidia. Additionally, our analysis of Melanconiellaceae led to the reclassification of Melanconiella loropetali to Sinodiscula loropetali and synonymizing Sinodiscula camellicola and Melanconiella camelliae. This paper also introduces two other novel species: Peroneutypa hibisci, a saprobe found on Hibiscus tiliaceus and Pseudochaetosphaeronema bruguierae from Bruguiera cylindrica, the first species in this genus reported as a mangrove fungus. A new record of Rimora mangrovei from Ceriops tagal is also reported. These discoveries emphasize the rich fungal diversity in mangrove ecosystems supporting further exploration of this unique environment.