As China’s urbanisation continues to advance, more people are choosing to live in cities. However, this trend has a significant impact on the natural ecosystem. For instance, the accumulation of keratin-rich substrates in urban habitats has led to an increase in keratinophilic microbes. Despite this, there is still a limited amount of research on the prevalence of keratinophilic fungi in urban areas. Fortunately, our group has conducted in-depth investigations into this topic since 2015. Through our research, we have discovered a significant amount of keratinophilic fungi in soil samples collected from various urban areas in China. In this study, we have identified and characterised 18 new species through the integration of morphological and phylogenetic analyses. These findings reveal the presence of numerous unexplored fungal taxa in urban habitats, emphasising the need for further taxonomic research in urban China.

Karst Tiankeng has a special eco-environment and acts as a refugium for biodiversity. However, there are few reports on Ascomycota from the Tiankeng karst region.

Keratinophilic fungi are a group that can degrade and utilize keratin-rich material. It is also because of this ability that many taxa can cause infections in animals or humans but remain poorly studied.

In this paper, we introduce three new species ofSimplicillium, viz.S. cicadellidae,S. formicidaeandS. lepidopterorum, which were isolated from an infected leafhopper, ant and carpenterworm, respectively. Morphological comparisons and phylogenetic analyses based on multigene datasets (LSU+RPB1+RPB2+TEF and ITS+LSU) support the establishment of the three new species.Simplicillium cicadellidaewas distinguished from other species in morphological characteristics by having smaller phialides and ellipsoidal conidia, and lacking octahedral crystals. The reverse of colonies were yellowish (#FFBF00), especially in the middle, and radially sulcate.Simplicillium formicidaewas morphologically distinguished from other by having longer phialides and filiform to fusoid conidia, and by lacking octahedral crystals.Simplicillium lepidopterorumwas morphologically distinguished from other species by having smaller, ellipsoidal to fusiform conidia, and by lacking octahedral crystals. The reverse of the colony was pale white. The three new species are likely to be nourished by plant to animal (especially insect) nutrients based on the evolutionary pattern of the Hypocreales, and they are described herein as being clearly distinct from other species inSimplicillium.

Many Isaria-like species have recently been moved into more appropriate genera. However, more robust molecular phylogenetic analyses are still required for Isaria-like fungi to ensure accurate taxonomic identification. We analyzed these Isaria-like strains using multi-gene phylogenetics. Cryptic diversity was discovered in several Isaria farinosa strains, and two new species, Samsoniella pseudogunnii and S. pupicola, are proposed. Our results reveal that more attention needs to be paid to cryptic intraspecific diversity across different isolates and genotypes of the Isaria-like species, some of which will need to be transferred to Samsoniella. Interestingly, S. hepiali, with a very broad host distribution, has been widely used as a medicinal and edible cordycipitoid fungus.

Hirsutella liboensis was isolated from the larva of Cossidae (Lepidoptera) in Libo Natural Reserves, Guizhou Province. The fungus produces fasciculate synnemata and mono- and polyphialidic conidiogenous cells with necks twisted in two or three helical turns. Conidia are one-celled or (rarely) one-septate, fusiform or like orange segments that are enveloped in a mucous sheath. Morphological characters and phylogenetic analyses of ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequences support this fungus as a new species.