A new species of Conidiobolus (Ancylistaceae) from Anhui, China

Conidiobolus sinensis was isolated from plant detritus in Huoshan, Anhui Province, eastern China. It produces primary conidiophores from cushion mycelium, which is distinct from all other species in the genus except C. stromoideus and C. lichenicola. Morphologically C. sinensis differs from C. stromoideus in the shape of the mycelia at the colony edge and conidiophore length and from C. lichenicola by colony color and mycelial form. A phylogram based on partial 28S rDNA and EF-1α sequences from 14 Conidiobolus species shows C. sinensis most closely related to C. stromoideus, forming a clade of sister taxa with a 100% bootstrap. DNA similarity levels between these two species were 94% (28S rDNA) and 96% (EF-1α). Based on the morphological and molecular evidence, C. sinensis is considered a new species.