The polyphasic approach reveals ten novel and one known Ascomycota taxa from terrestrial agarwood-producing trees

Tian-Ye Du; Saowaluck Tibpromma; Kevin D. Hyde; Ausana Mapook; Dong-Qin Dai; Gui-Qing Zhang; Steven L. Stephenson; Nakarin Suwannarach; Jaturong Kumla; Abdallah M. Elgorban; Kunhiraman C. Rajeshkumar; Sajeewa S. N. Maharachchikumbura; Qiang Li; Samantha C. Karunarathna

doi:10.1111/jse.13128

Journal of Systematics and Evolution ›› 2025, Vol. 63 ›› Issue (2) : 431 -468. DOI: 10.1111/jse.13128

Research Article

The polyphasic approach reveals ten novel and one known Ascomycota taxa from terrestrial agarwood-producing trees

Author information +

¹. Center for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, College of Biological Resource and Food Engineering, Qujing Normal University, Qujing, 655011 China

². Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100 Thailand

³. School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100 Thailand

⁴. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, 72701 USA

⁵. Center of Excellence in Microbial Diversity and Sustainable Utilization, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200 Thailand

⁶. Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, PO 2455, Riyadh, 11451 Saudi Arabia

⁷. National Fungal Culture Collection of India (NFCCI), Biodiversity and Palaeobiology (Fungi) Gr, MACS Agharkar Research Institute, G. G. Agarkar Road, Pune, 411004 India

⁸. School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731 China

⁹. National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Hantane Road, Kandy, 2000 Sri Lanka

saowaluckfai@gmail.com

samanthakarunarathna@gmail.com

Show less

History +

PDF

Abstract

Aquilaria (Thymelaeaceae), a tropical and subtropical plant, is one of the main genera that can produce agarwood. Aquilaria sinensis and Aquilaria yunnanensis are native Chinese tree species, and A. sinensis is China's main agarwood source. Agarwood is a nontimber forest product with high economic and medicinal value. First-grade agarwood is sold as much as $100 000 per kilogram. There has been little research on the saprobic fungi associated with Aquilaria, with only 11 records having been reported. In the present study, 10 terrestrial saprobic fungi associated with A. sinensis and A. yunnanensis were collected in China. Based on morphological and phylogenetic studies, these 10 collections are introduced herein as one new genus (Aquilariomyces), nine new species – Aquilariomyces aquilariae, Corynespora aquilariae, Melomastia maomingensis, Nigrograna aquilariae, Parathyridariella aquilariae, Peroneutypa maomingensis, Phaeoseptum aquilariae, Pseudothyridariella aquilariae, and Triangularia aquilariae, and one known species (Camarographium clematidis). Descriptions, illustrations of morphological characteristics, photo plates, phylogenetic trees, and the results of a pairwise homoplasy index test (PHI) test results are provided.

Keywords

agarwood fungi / Aquilaria / Dothideomycetes / morphology / saprobes / Sordariomycetes / ten new taxa / Thymelaeaceae

Cite this article

Download citation ▾

Tian-Ye Du, Saowaluck Tibpromma, Kevin D. Hyde, Ausana Mapook, Dong-Qin Dai, Gui-Qing Zhang, Steven L. Stephenson, Nakarin Suwannarach, Jaturong Kumla, Abdallah M. Elgorban, Kunhiraman C. Rajeshkumar, Sajeewa S. N. Maharachchikumbura, Qiang Li, Samantha C. Karunarathna. The polyphasic approach reveals ten novel and one known Ascomycota taxa from terrestrial agarwood-producing trees. Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 2025, 63(2): 431-468 DOI:10.1111/jse.13128