Culturable Fungi from Urban Soils in China I: Description of 10 New Taxa

Abstract

An investigation of members of the soil keratinophilic fungi community in China resulted in the identification of one new monotypic genus, <i>Zongqia</i>, and 10 new species, 2 of which are affiliated with <i>Solomyces</i>, 1 with the new genus <i>Zongqia</i>, 4 with <i>Pseudogymnoascus</i>, and 3 with <i>Scedosporium</i>. These novel taxa form an independent lineage distinct from other species, based on morphological and multilocus phylogenetic analyses. Descriptions, illustrations, and notes are provided for each taxon. These new taxa of the soil keratinophilic fungi add to the increasing number of fungi known from China, and it is now evident that numerous novel taxa are waiting to be described. <b>IMPORTANCE</b> 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 study, we reported a novel genus and 10 novel species, 7 novel species belonging to the order <i>Thelebolales</i> and 3 to the genus <i>Scedosporium</i>, based on multilocus phylogenetic analyses combined with morphological characteristics. Our study significantly updates the taxonomy of <i>Thelebolales</i> and <i>Scedosporium</i> and enhances our understanding of this group of the keratin-degrading fungal community. The findings also encourage future studies on the artificially constructed keratin-degrading microbial consortia.