Unveiling Species Diversity Within Early-Diverging Fungi from China VI: Four sp. nov. () in Guizhou and Hainan.

is the most species-rich genus within the family Cunninghamellaceae, with its members commonly isolated from diverse substrates, particularly rhizosphere soil. In this study, four novel species, sp. nov., sp. nov., sp. nov., and sp. nov., were discovered from soil samples collected in southern and southwestern China, using integrated morphological and molecular analyses. Phylogenetic analyses based on concatenated ITS, SSU, LSU, , and sequence data reconstructed trees that strongly supported the monophyly of each of these four new taxa. Key diagnostic features include (closely related to ) exhibiting irregular colony morphology, (sister to ) demonstrating polymorphic sporangiospores, (forming a clade with and ) producing distinctive ovoid sporangiospores, and (next to ) displaying verticillately branched sporangiophores. Each novel species is formally described with comprehensive documentation, including morphological descriptions, illustrations, Fungal Names registration identifiers, designated type specimens, etymological explanations, maximum growth temperatures, and taxonomic comparisons. This work constitutes the sixth instalment in a series investigating early-diverging fungal diversity in China aiming to enhance our understanding of the diversity of fungi in tropical and subtropical ecosystems in Asia. In this paper, the known species of are expanded to 71.