Tetraploa wurfbainiae sp. nov. (Tetraplosphaeriaceae, Pleosporales) isolated from Wurfbainia villosa in Guangdong, China

During a survey for microfungi associated with traditional medicinal plants in Guangdong Province, China, an interesting species in the Tetraplosphaeriaceae was isolated from the dead stem of Wurfbainia villosa (Zingiberaceae). The new collection is characterised by brown to dark brown, cylindrical to ovate, four-columned conidia, mostly with four straight or slightly flexuous, smooth, and long apical appendages. The phylogenetic analysis of the combined dataset of internal transcribed spacer (ITS), large subunit nuclear rDNA (LSU), the partial translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1-alpha), and beta-tubulin (tub2) further indicated that the new collection forms a distinct branch in Tetraploa and clusters as a sister taxon with T. dwibahubeeja. Thus, we introduce a new species, Tetraploa wurfbainiae, based on distinct morphology and multi-locus phylogeny, accompanied by a description, illustration, and morphological comparison with related taxa. This is the first report of Tetraploa species on the medicinal plant W. villosa. This study enhances our understanding of the fungal species associated with the medicinal plant W. villosa.