Phylogenetic evidence revealed new Aureobasidium species (Saccotheciaceae, Dothideales) from Brazil

During a survey of endophytic fungi in a tropical dry forest (Caatinga) in Brazil, we obtained isolates from Anadenanthera colubrina (Fabaceae) trees. Based on morphological characters and phylogenetic analyses of ITS, LSU, TUB2, and TEF1 sequences, these isolates were recognised as unique fungal lineages in the genus Aureobasidium, leading to the proposal of two new species. Aureobasidium caatingaense sp. nov. is characterised by straight or slightly curved, ellipsoidal and oblong conidia, and lacking budding cells. It is distinguished from its sister species, Aureobasidium santateresinhaense sp. nov., which exhibits globose to subglobose and elongated conidiogenous cells slightly larger and variably shaped conidia, occurrence of occasional budding cells that are hyaline to brownish pigmented, and rapidly growing colonies.