In the present study, nine endophytic strains of Diaporthe from China were identified based on analyses of morphological characters and combined sequences of rDNA ITS, partial sequences from the translation elongation factor 1-α (tef1), β tubulin (tub2), histone H3 (his3), and calmodulin (cal) genes. Three new Diaporthe species, Diaporthe anhuiensis, Diaporthe huangshanensis and Diaporthe shennongjiaensis, are introduced in this paper with full descriptions and comparison with similar taxa. And two other known species, Diaporthe citrichinensis and Diaporthe eres are also described.

Rhytisma Fr. is the type genus of Rhytismataceae (Rhytismatales, Leotiomycetes, Ascomycota). Rhytisma-like species include members of Cryptomyces, Rhytisma and Vladracula. They are parasites on leaves of broadleaf trees and cause tar spot diseases. In this study, a phylogeny based on the large subunit of the ribosomal rRNA gene (nrLSU) and the mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU) is presented, including sequences of 39 newly collected specimens from East Asia, Europe, and temperate as well as tropical America. Based on analyses of morphology, phylogeny as well as host-specificity and diversification time estimates, the family Rhytismataceae sensu stricto is proposed, and eight genera are accepted in this narrow family, including four novel genera (Densorhytisma, Fanglania, Johnstoniella and Shiqia), the type genus Rhytisma, and the reinstated genera Lophodermina, Placuntium and Xyloma. Lophodermina clusters within the main Rhytisma clade in our analyses, but is divergent in morphological terms, not having large compound stromata. Thirty species are recognized, including seven novel species (Fanglania hubeiensis, F. parasitica, Johnstoniella yunnanensis, Rhytisma japonicum, Rh. taiwanense, Xyloma globosum, and X. shennongjiaense), fifteen new combinations (Densorhytisma anhuiense, D. huangshanense, F. concova, F. himalensis, F. ilicis-integrae, F. ilicis-latifoliae, F. ilicis-pedunculosae, J. lonicerae, Rh. annuliforme, Shiqia menziesii, S. yuexiensis, X. filamentosum, X. maximum, X. muelleri, and X. polare), one new name (J. xylostei), seven known species (Lophodermina melaleuca, Placuntium andromedae, Rhytisma acerinum, Rh. americanum, Rh. punctatum, X. salicinum, and X. umbonatum). In addition, seven immature specimens were studied but not assigned to existing species, herein referred to as Fanglania sp. 1, Johnstoniella sp. 1, Johnstoniella sp. 2, Placuntium sp. 1, Placuntium sp. 2, Rhytisma sp. 1, and Xyloma sp. 1. The systematic positions of Cryptomyces maximus, Cr. muelleri and Vladracula annuliformis are re-assigned based on phylogenetic analysis. One Rhytisma-like species from tropical America was segregated from Rhytismataceae s.str., thus a novel genus Neorhytisma was established to accommodate this species, with the one new combinations Neorhytisma panamense. The results of the molecular phylogenetic analysis indicate that Rhytisma-like species are host-specific at genus level. Apparently, Rhytisma-like species coevolved with their hosts, and Rhytisma-like species on Ericaceae seem to be in the process of host jumping. Morphological characteristics of ascomata are important for the delimitation of species and genera of Rhytisma-like species. This study provides a key to genera and species of recognized Rhytisma-like species worldwide.

Phyllosticta (Phyllostictaceae, Botryosphaeriales) species are widely distributed globally and constitute a diverse group of pathogenic and endophytic fungi associated with a broad range of plant hosts. In this study, four new species of Phyllosticta, i.e. P. endophytica, P. jiangxiensis, P. machili, and P. xinyuensis, were described using morphological characteristics and multi-locus phylogeny based on the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) with intervening 5.8S rRNA gene, large subunit of rRNA gene (nrLSU), translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene (tef1), actin gene (act), and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (gapdh). Phyllosticta machili is the first species of this genus reported to infect plants of the Machilus genus.

Clavulina possesses important ecological and economic value and has attracted extensive attention from mycologists. Macrofungal diversity is high in China, but Clavulina species have not been thoroughly studied. In this study, based on morphological evidence and phylogenetic analyses of the nucleotide sequences of three loci (nrITS, nrLSU, and rpb2), three new species of Clavulina from North China were identified. Morphologically, Clavulina chengdeensis is characterized by its white to dirty white basidiomata with somewhat pale orange tips and somewhat wrinkled hymenium. Clavulina griseoviolacea is characterized by its gray to dark grayish violet basidiomata, with a sometimes-white stipe base, monopodial or irregularly polychotomous toward branch apices. Clavulina pallida is characterized by its white to pale cream white basidiomata with somewhat orange tips. Phylogenetically, the three new species form three independent branches with high support values in the phylogenetic tree.

Three new species, Candolleomyces incanus, C. subcandolleanus and C. yanshanensis, were found and described from Yanshan Mountains in China. The identification is based on morphological observation combined with phylogenetic analysis of ITS-LSU-Tef1α-TUB2. This study enriched the species diversity of Candolleomyces in Yanshan Mountains and provided important data support for the systematic study of Candolleomyces in the future.

Species of the genus Russula are key components of ectomycorrhizal ecosystems worldwide, some of which are famous edible fungi. Although many new species have been described in China, their diversity in North China is still poorly known. Based on the morphology observation of specimens and molecular phylogenetic analyses, combined with the current classification frame of Russula, six new species of Russula subgenus Russula are proposed from the Yanshan Mountains in northern Beijing and northern Hebei Province of China in this study: viz. Russula miyunensis (subsection Chamaeleontinae), R. plana (subsection Chamaeleontinae), R. sinoparva (subsection Puellarinae), R. sinorobusta (subsection Puellarinae), R. subversatilis (subsection Roseinae), and R. yanshanensis (subsection Puellarinae). This is the first report of the species of Russula subgenus Russula from the Yanshan Mountains. This study enriches the species diversity of Russula in North China and provides new data support for the systematic study of Russula in subsequent research, including research and development on edibility.