Fungi from Asian Karst formations II. Two new species of Occultibambusa (Occultibambusaceae, Dothideomycetes) from karst landforms of China

Abstract

During an investigation of saprobic ascomycetes from karst landforms in southwest China, two new species were isolated from dead bamboo culms collected from Maolan Town in Guizhou Province. The new taxa share similar morphological characters as known Occultibambusa species in having immersed, papillate ascomata, broadly-cylindrical to clavate asci and fusiform, hyaline to brown ascospores. Phylogenetic analysis of combined LSU, SSU, TEF1-a and RPB2 sequence data also placed the new taxa within the genus Occultibambusa in the family Occultibambusaceae with good support. The new taxa can be distinguished from other species by septation and different-sized ascospores and the present or absence of sheaths. The new species, Occultibambusa jonesii and O. maolanensis are introduced here, with descriptions, illustrations and molecular data.