Unveiling Species Diversity Within Early-Diverging Fungi from China XIV: Five New Species of Mucorales

Mucoralean fungi are mostly saprotrophic. During a fungal investigation of soil in Guangdong and Anhui provinces of China, five new species of Mucorales were discovered, namely Cunninghamella brevispora sp. nov., C. geminata sp. nov., Mucor chlamydosporiferus sp. nov., M. citrinus sp. nov., and M. magnisporus sp. nov. The identification is based on morphological characteristics, as well as molecular phylogenetics of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), large subunit ribosomal RNA gene (LSU rDNA), translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene (TEF1α), and RNA polymerase II largest subunit gene (RPB1). Cunninghamella brevispora sp. nov. is sister to C. guizhouensis, and is distinguished by short sporangiophores. Cunninghamella geminata sp. nov. is sister to C. subclavata; rhizoids are absent in the former but well-developed in the latter. Mucor chlamydosporiferus sp. nov. is closely related to M. prayagensis, and is characterized by abundant chlamydospores. Mucor citrinus sp. nov. is closely related to M. paraorantomantidis, and is differentiated by pale yellow sporangiospores. Mucor magnisporus sp. nov. is sister to M. merdicola, and is discriminated by large sporangiospores. To date, with the addition of the five new species described herein, the total number of accepted species in the genus Cunninghamella and Mucor has increased to 49 and 163, respectively.