Identification and Characterization of Five Previously Unrecorded Species of Subgenus Isolated in Korea.

In a survey of freshwater and near-freshwater soils in Chungbuk, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam provinces in Korea, seven fungal strains were isolated and identified as members of the genus based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions sequence analyses. Identification was performed through observing morphological characteristics and conducting phylogenetic analyses based on concatenated partial ITS, β-tubulin, calmodulin, and RNA polymerase II subunit gene sequences. The phylogenetic analyses revealed that strain NNIBRFG6577 was distinct from known species, and based on morphological comparisons with the closest related species, CGMCC 3.25167 and CGMCC 3.25173, it was proposed as a novel species. Strains NNIBRFG4823, NNIBRFG4610, and NNIBRFG4600 were closely related to CGMCC 3.25156, CBS 439.75, and CBS 350.59, respectively, while strains NNIBRFG1486, NNIBRFG48324, and NNIBRFG49919 clustered with CBS 276.75, and all strains showed morphological characteristics similar to those of their respective reference strains. These findings enrich Korea's fungus inventory, providing a basis for valuable future resource development.