Morphology and phylogeny reveal two new species and host records of hyphomycetous fungi on Areca species from marine habitats in Thailand

Area of Science:

• Marine biology
• Mycology
• Ecology

Background:

• Marine ecosystems host diverse fungi with significant ecological roles.
• Fungal diversity in marine environments remains underexplored.
• Decaying plant material in marine settings serves as a substrate for fungal growth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and identify fungal species associated with decaying Areca plant material in a marine environment.
• To characterize novel fungal species using morphological and phylogenetic analyses.
• To document new host records for known fungal species.

Main Methods:

• Collection of submerged, decaying Areca species plant material from seawater.
• Morphological characterization of fungal isolates.
• Multi-gene phylogenetic analysis (LSU-ITS-tub2-SSU, ITS-LSU-tub2-rpb2, LSU-ITS-tef1-α-rpb2, LSU-ITS-act) for species identification.

Main Results:

• Discovery and description of two new fungal species: Tetraploa maritima and Rosellinia maritima.
• Tetraploa maritima is characterized by a hilum and elongating appendages.
• Rosellinia maritima exhibits a unique asexual morph with interwoven cells.
• Identification of two new host records: Musicillium theobromae and Sarocladium gamsii.

Conclusions:

• The study expands the known diversity of marine fungi.
• The identified species play roles in the decomposition of plant material in marine ecosystems.
• Detailed morphological and phylogenetic data contribute to fungal taxonomy and understanding marine fungal ecology.