Four New Pale-Spored Species of Xylaria (Xylariaceae, Xylariales) with a Key to Worldwide Species on Fallen Fruits and Seeds

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Xylaria, a large, complex, and cosmopolitan genus of Ascomycota, are known as a source of bioactive secondary metabolites with antibacterial, antioxidative, anti-carcinogenic, and other properties. The species of this genus usually grow on decayed wood, fallen fruits or seeds, fallen leaves or petioles, and termite nests. The present paper describes species of Xylaria associated with fruits and seeds using morphological and multigene phylogenetic analyses based on specimens collected in Southwest China. There are few detailed reports on Xylaria taxonomy from China, especially on the species associated with fallen fruits and seeds. In this study, we describe four new species from the genus Xylaria with pale-colored ascospores on fallen fruits. They are described, illustrated, and compared with morphologically similar species, and their nucleotide sequences of ITS, RPB2, and β-tubulin were obtained and analysed. Our study reports new species of Xylaria with pale-colored ascospores associated with fallen fruits and seeds in China for the first time. ABSTRACT: Xylaria, a large and cosmopolitan genus of Ascomycota, plays an important ecological role in forest ecology as wood-decomposers, and serve as a source of bioactive secondary metabolites. The present work concerns a survey of Xylaria from Southwest China. Four new species of Xylaria with pale-colored ascospores associated with fallen fruits and seeds are described and illustrated based on morphological and phylogenetic evidences. The phylogeny inferred from a combined dataset of ITS-RPB2-β-tubulin sequences supports these four species as distinct species. The four new taxa, namely Xylaria rogersii, X. schimicola, X. theaceicola, and X. wallichii, are compared and contrasted against morphologically similar species. A dichotomous identification key to all the accepted species of Xylaria associated with fallen fruits and seeds is given.