gen. et sp. nov. (Cryphonectriaceae, Diaporthales) causing stem blight of spp. in China.

Cryphonectriaceae is a diaporthalean family containing important plant pathogens of which is the most notorious one. An emerging stem blight disease on (Elaeocarpaceae) and was observed in Guangdong Province of China recently. Typical Cryphonectria blight-like symptoms including cankers on tree barks with obvious orange conidial tendrils were observed. Forty-eight isolates were obtained from diseased tissues and conidiomata formed on the hosts and . These isolates were further identified based on both morphology and molecular methods using the combined sequence data of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, large subunit of the nrDNA (LSU), the translation elongation factor 1-alpha () and DNA-directed RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2) genes. As a result, the fungus represents an undescribed genus and species within the family Cryphonectriaceae. Hence, is proposed herein to represent these isolates from diseased barks of and . differs from the other genera of Cryphonectriaceae in having dimorphic conidia. Further inoculation results showed that is the causal agent of this emerging blight disease in China, which can quickly infect and kill the hosts and .