Cytospora species are mainly found as phytopathogens but are also reported as endophytes and saprophytes in several host plants. During a study of the diversity of endophytic fungi associated with Anacardium occidentale in an area of the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado), isolates of Cytospora were identified and differentiated from other species by morphological and phylogenetic analyses (ITS, act, rpb2, tef1, and tub2). Cytospora anacardii has been proposed as a new endophytic species, and it has pycnidia and conidiogenous cells smaller than those of the phylogenetically related species Cytospora phitsanulokensis. Our data highlight the importance of investigating endophytes as important economic hosts and expand our knowledge of global Cytospora diversity and distribution. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of Cytospora being an endophyte of Anacardium occidentale.

Fungi play vital roles in ecosystems through parasitism, commensalism, and mutualism. Additionally, they are widely used in industry as bioactive compound producers and biological control agents. Biomphalaria glabrata is a freshwater snail often controlled with chemical molluscicides. However, developing effective alternatives to these chemical treatments is essential. This study evaluated the molluscicidal potential of culture supernatant from Hypocreales fungi isolated from a cave in the Brazilian Cerrado against the B. glabrata. The isolates were identified based on morphological features and ITS rDNA sequences. Fifteen filtrates of Hypocreales fungi were obtained and tested both pure and in different dilutions (10% and 50%) against newly hatched snails during 96 h of exposure. The fungal isolates were identified as belonging to the genera of Clonostachys (1), Cylindrocladiella (1), Fusarium (1), Gliocladiopsis (1), Keithomyces (1), Marquandomyces (1), Ovicillium (1), Pochonia (1), Purpureocillium (1), Sarcopodium (1), Sarocladium (1), Trichoderma (3), and Volutella (1). The results showed 93.33% (14) of the fungal filtrates induced significant mortality, indicating their molluscicidal activity, with Pochonia chlamydosporia FCCUFG 100 and Volutella aeria FCCUFG 107 causing 100% mortality in all dilutions. These results reveal the potential of Hypocreales fungi from a Brazilian Cerrado cave as a promising approach for snail control.

Caves are important but understudied reservoirs of fungal diversity, particularly for genera such as Cladosporium ( Cladosporiales , Dothideomycetes ). This study aimed to characterise the richness of Cladosporium species from six caves in the Brazilian savannah (Cerrado) using an integrative approach combining morphology and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses ( ACT , ITS, RPB2 , TEF1-α , and TUB ). To improve species recognition in Cladosporium , selected ex-type strains were studied, for which RPB2 and TUB barcodes were also sequenced. Species were delimited using morphology and phylogenetic inferences, supplemented by the pairwise homoplasy index (PHI) test to evaluate species boundaries. Twenty-three species were identified among 94 Cladosporium isolates. The polyphasic approach resulted in the description of six new species: five in the C. cladosporioides complex ( C. carsi , C. lacerdae , C. mambaiense , C. nogueirae , and C. propiciense ) and one in the C. sphaerospermum complex ( C. mesquitapaivae ). Additionally, analyses based on morphology, genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition (GCPSR), and the PHI test resulted in the synonymisation of C. ribis and C. speluncae under C. bambusicola , C. brigadeirense under C. puris , and C. marinisedimentum under C. sphaerospermum . Among the previously known species identified, 11 represent new records for cave environments, with C. bambusicola being the most frequent (29.17%). These findings substantially expand the known diversity of Cladosporium in Neotropical caves, highlighting the Brazilian Cerrado as a hotspot of mycodiversity. Furthermore, ACT , RPB2 , TEF1-α , and TUB are proposed as the primary phylogenetic barcodes for distinguishing closely related Cladosporium species, particularly within the C. cladosporioides complex. This study further emphasises the necessity of using a polyphasic approach to achieve accurate taxonomic resolution among Cladosporium species, trace their distribution in caves, and help to understand their ecology.