Contributions to the () Group in China: Taxonomy, Species Diversity, and Molecular Phylogeny.

is the largest genus in the family , with approximately 1000 species worldwide. Basic data on the species diversity, geographic distribution, and the infrageneric framework of are still incomplete because of the intricate nature of this genus, which includes numerous unrecognized taxa that exist around the world. A multigene phylogeny of the group, initially designated as the " subgroup", was conducted using the ITS-28S- nucleotide datasets. The seven species, , , , , , , and , were confirmed as members of this species group. At the genus level, the group is a sister to the lineage of the unifying and an undescribed species. sect. sect. nov. was proposed to accommodate species in the group and the lineage. This section now comprises eight documented species and nine new species from China, as described in this paper. Additionally, new geographical distributions of and in China are reported. The nine new species and , , , and are described in detail and illustrated herein with color plates based on Chinese materials. A global key to 17 species in the section is provided. The results of the current study provide a more detailed basis for the accurate identification of species in the group and a better understanding of their phylogenetic placement.