Abstract
Basidiobolus ceratocapilliconidius sp. nov. (Basidiobolales, Basidiobolaceae) is introduced and illustrated based on strains isolated from China. Species recognition within Basidiobolus has historically been obscured by a paucity of stable, taxonomically informative morphological characteristics. In this study, phylogenetic analyses based on a combined dataset of nuclear ribosomal 28S and ITS sequences robustly resolve B. ceratocapilliconidius as a distinct monophyletic lineage within the genus. Morphologically, the new species is readily distinguished from all known congeners by its uniquely shaped, distinctly ceratoid capilliconidia. This discovery represents the first formally described species of Basidiobolus from China, expanding our understanding of the geographic distribution and phenotypic diversity of non-Dikarya fungal lineage. Our results reinforce the necessity of integrating multi-locus sequence data with specialized reproductive morphology to accurately elucidate species boundaries in taxonomically challenging groups.
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