This paper is a compilation of notes on 110 fungal taxa, including one new family, 10 new genera, and 76 new species, representing a wide taxonomic and geographic range. The new family, Paradictyoarthriniaceae is introduced based on its distinct lineage in Dothideomycetes and its unique morphology. The family is sister to Biatriosporaceae and Roussoellaceae. The new genera are Allophaeosphaeria (Phaeosphaeriaceae), Amphibambusa (Amphisphaeriaceae), Brunneomycosphaerella (Capnodiales genera incertae cedis), Chaetocapnodium (Capnodiaceae), Flammeascoma (Anteagloniaceae), Multiseptospora (Pleosporales genera incertae cedis), Neogaeumannomyces (Magnaporthaceae), Palmiascoma (Bambusicolaceae), Paralecia (Squamarinaceae) and Sarimanas (Melanommataceae). The newly described species are the Ascomycota Aliquandostipite manochii, Allophaeosphaeria dactylidis, A. muriformia, Alternaria cesenica, Amphibambusa bambusicola, Amphisphaeria sorbi, Annulohypoxylon thailandicum, Atrotorquata spartii, Brunneomycosphaerella laburni, Byssosphaeria musae, Camarosporium aborescentis, C. aureum, C. frutexensis, Chaetocapnodium siamensis, Chaetothyrium agathis, Colletotrichum sedi, Conicomyces pseudotransvaalensis, Cytospora berberidis, C. sibiraeae, Diaporthe thunbergiicola, Diatrype palmicola, Dictyosporium aquaticum, D. meiosporum, D. thailandicum, Didymella cirsii, Dinemasporium nelloi, Flammeascoma bambusae, Kalmusia italica, K. spartii, Keissleriella sparticola, Lauriomyces synnematicus, Leptosphaeria ebuli, Lophiostoma pseudodictyosporium, L. ravennicum, Lophiotrema eburnoides, Montagnula graminicola, Multiseptospora thailandica, Myrothecium macrosporum, Natantispora unipolaris, Neogaeumannomyces bambusicola, Neosetophoma clematidis, N. italica, Oxydothis atypica, Palmiascoma gregariascomum, Paraconiothyrium nelloi, P. thysanolaenae, Paradictyoarthrinium tectonicola, Paralecia pratorum, Paraphaeosphaeria spartii, Pestalotiopsis digitalis, P. dracontomelon, P. italiana, Phaeoisaria pseudoclematidis, Phragmocapnias philippinensis, Pseudocamarosporium cotinae, Pseudocercospora tamarindi, Pseudotrichia rubriostiolata, P. thailandica, Psiloglonium multiseptatum, Saagaromyces mangrovei, Sarimanas pseudofluviatile, S. shirakamiense, Tothia spartii, Trichomerium siamensis, Wojnowicia dactylidicola, W. dactylidis and W. lonicerae. The Basidiomycota Agaricus flavicentrus, A. hanthanaensis, A. parvibicolor, A. sodalis, Cantharellus luteostipitatus, Lactarius atrobrunneus, L. politus, Phylloporia dependens and Russula cortinarioides are also introduced. Epitypifications or reference specimens are designated for Hapalocystis berkeleyi, Meliola tamarindi, Pallidocercospora acaciigena, Phaeosphaeria musae, Plenodomus agnitus, Psiloglonium colihuae, P. sasicola and Zasmidium musae while notes and/or new sequence data are provided for Annulohypoxylon leptascum, A. nitens, A. stygium, Biscogniauxia marginata, Fasciatispora nypae, Hypoxylon fendleri, H. monticulosum, Leptosphaeria doliolum, Microsphaeropsis olivacea, Neomicrothyrium, Paraleptosphaeria nitschkei, Phoma medicaginis and Saccotheciaceae. A full description of each species is provided with light micrographs (or drawings). Molecular data is provided for 90 taxa and used to generate phylogenetic trees to establish a natural classification for species.

Diaporthespecies have often been reported as important plant pathogens, saprobes and endophytes on a wide range of plant hosts. Although severalDiaporthespecies have been recorded in China, little is known about species able to infect forest trees. Therefore, extensive surveys were recently conducted in Beijing, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi and Zhejiang Provinces. The current results emphasised on 15 species from 42 representative isolates involving 16 host genera using comparisons of DNA sequence data for the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS),calmodulin(cal), histone H3 (his3), partial translation elongation factor-1α (tef1) and β-tubulin (tub2) gene regions, as well as their morphological features. Three known species,D.biguttulata,D.eresandD.unshiuensis, were identified. In addition, twelve novel taxa were collected and are described asD.acerigena,D.alangii,D.betulina,D.caryae,D.cercidis,D.chensiensis,D.cinnamomi,D.conica,D.fraxinicola,D.kadsurae,D.padinaandD.ukurunduensis. The current study improves the understanding of species causing diebacks on ecological and economic forest trees and provides useful information for the effective disease management of these hosts in China.

Two Castanea plant species, C. henryi and C. mollissima, are cultivated in China to produce chestnut crops. Leaf spot diseases commonly occur in Castanea plantations, however, little is known about the fungal species associated with chestnut leaf spots. In this study, leaf samples of C. henryi and C. mollissima were collected from Beijing, Guizhou, Hunan, Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces, and leaf-inhabiting fungi were identified based on morphology and phylogeny. As a result, twenty-six fungal species were confirmed, including one new family, one new genus, and five new species. The new taxa are Pyrisporaceae fam. nov., Pyrispora gen. nov., Aureobasidium castaneae sp. nov., Discosia castaneae sp. nov., Monochaetia castaneae sp. nov., Neopestalotiopsis sichuanensis sp. nov. and Pyrispora castaneae sp. nov.

Members of the genus Cytospora are often reported as endophytes, saprobes or phytopathogens, primarily causing canker diseases of woody host plants. They occur on a wide range of hosts and have a worldwide distribution. Although several species have in the past been reported from China, the vast majority are not known from culture or DNA phylogeny. The primary aim of the present study was thus to clarify the taxonomy and phylogeny of a large collection of Cytospora species associated with diverse hosts in China. Cytospora spp. were collected in northeast, northwest, north and southwest China, indicating that the cold and dry environments favour these fungi. In this paper, we provide an assessment of 52 Cytospora spp. in China, focussing on 40 species represented by 88 isolates from 28 host genera. Based on a combination of morphology and a six-locus phylogeny (ITS, LSU, act1, rpb2, tef1-α and tub2), 13 new species and one new combination are introduced. The majority of the species investigated here appear to be host-specific, although further collections and pathogenicity studies will be required to confirm this conclusion.

In this study we accept 25 families in Diaporthales based on phylogenetic analyses using partial ITS, LSU, rpb2 and tef1-α gene sequences. Four different families associated with canker and dieback of tree hosts are morphologically treated and phylogenetically compared. These include three new families (Diaporthostomataceae, Pseudomelanconidaceae, Synnemasporellaceae), and one new genus, Dendrostoma (Erythrogloeaceae). Dendrostoma is newly described from Malus spectabilis, Osmanthus fragrans and Quercus acutissima having fusoid to cylindrical, bicellular ascospores, with three new species namely D. mali, D. osmanthi and D. quercinum. Diaporthostomataceae is characterised by conical and discrete perithecia with bicellular, fusoid ascospores on branches of Machilus leptophylla. Pseudomelanconidaceae is defined by conidiogenous cells with apical collarets and discreet annellations, and the inconspicuous hyaline conidial sheath when mature on Carya cathayensis, compared to morphologically similar families Melanconidaceae and Juglanconidaceae. Synnemasporellaceae is proposed to accommodate fungi with synnematous conidiomata, with descriptions of S. toxicodendri on Toxicodendron sylvestre and S. aculeans on Rhus copallina.

Species of Elsinoë are phytopathogens causing scab and spot anthracnose on many plants, including some economically important crops such as avocado, citrus, grapevines, and ornamentals such as poinsettias, field crops and woody hosts. Disease symptoms are often easily recognisable, and referred to as signature-bearing diseases, for the cork-like appearance of older infected tissues with scab-like appearance. In some Elsinoë-host associations the resulting symptoms are better described as spot anthracnose. Additionally the infected plants may also show mild to severe distortions of infected organs. Isolation of Elsinoë in pure culture can be very challenging and examination of specimens collected in the field is often frustrating because of the lack of fertile structures. Current criteria for species recognition and host specificity in Elsinoë are unclear due to overlapping morphological characteristics, and the lack of molecular and pathogenicity data. In the present study we revised the taxonomy of Elsinoë based on DNA sequence and morphological data derived from 119 isolates, representing 67 host genera from 17 countries, including 64 ex-type cultures. Combined analyses of ITS, LSU, rpb2 and TEF1-α DNA sequence data were used to reconstruct the backbone phylogeny of the genus Elsinoë. Based on the single nomenclature for fungi, 26 new combinations are proposed in Elsinoë for species that were originally described in Sphaceloma. A total of 13 species are epitypified with notes on their taxonomy and phylogeny. A further eight new species are introduced, leading to a total of 75 Elsinoë species supported by molecular data in the present study. For the most part species of Elsinoë appear to be host specific, although the majority of the species treated are known only from a few isolates, and further collections and pathogenicity studies will be required to reconfirm this conclusion.