Two new endophytic species of Parafenestella (Pleosporales, Cucurbitariaceae) from Xizang, China, revealed by morphology and multi-locus phylogeny

During a mycological survey of high-altitude forests in Xizang (Tibet), China, four endophytic fungal strains were isolated from the asymptomatic tissues of Cupressus gigantea and Rosa sericea . Based on morphological characteristics and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses of a five-gene dataset (ITS, LSU, tub2 , tef1 , and rpb2 ), these isolates are introduced as Parafenestella cupressicola sp. nov . and P. xizangensis sp. nov . ( Cucurbitariaceae , Pleosporales ). Phylogenetically, P. cupressicola forms a sister lineage to P. ulmi and P. ulmicola but differs in conidiogenous cell and conidia dimensions. Parafenestella xizangensis shares similar conidial morphology with P. salicis , but differs in molecular sequences. These findings expand the known host range and geographic distribution of Parafenestella and suggest that additional endophytic diversity remains to be discovered in alpine forest ecosystems.