Ophiostomatoid species associated with pine trees (Pinus spp.) infested by Cryphalus piceae from eastern China, including five new species

Abstract

Cryphalus piceae attacks various economically important conifers. Similar to other bark beetles, Cr. piceae plays a role as a vector for an assortment of fungi and nematodes. Previously, several ophiostomatoid fungi were isolated from Cr. piceae in Poland and Japan. In the present study, we explored the diversity of ophiostomatoid fungi associated with Cr. piceae infesting pines in the Shandong Province of China. We isolated ophiostomatoid fungi from both galleries and beetles collected from our study sites. These fungal isolates were identified using both molecular and morphological data. In this study, we recovered 175 isolates of ophiostomatoid fungi representing seven species. Ophiostoma ips was the most frequently isolated species. Molecular and morphological data indicated that five ophiostomatoid fungal species recovered were previously undescribed. Thus, we proposed these five novel species as Ceratocystiopsis yantaiensis, C. weihaiensis, Graphilbum translucens, Gr. niveum, and Sporothrix villosa. These new ophiostomatoid fungi add to the increasing number of fungi known from China, and this evidence suggests that numerous novel taxa are awaiting discovery in other forests of China.