Summary: | <i>Helminthosporium</i> is a polyphyletic genus in Massarinaceae (Pleosporales). Species of <i>Helminthosporium</i> are characterized by having septate and erect conidiophores, acro-pleurogenous and distoseptate conidia with a ring-shaped scar at the base. During a survey of fungal diversity in Sichuan Province, China, six <i>Helminthosporium</i>-like isolates were collected from dead branches of unknown trees. Five barcodes, including ITS (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2), SSU, LSU, <i>TEF1</i>, and <i>RPB2</i> were amplified and sequenced. Morphological examination and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses revealed two new <i>Helminthosporium</i> species (<i>H. chengduense</i> sp. nov., and <i>H. chinense</i> sp. nov.), a new genus (<i>Synhelminthosporium</i> gen. nov.) with a type species <i>Synhelminthosporium synnematoferum</i> sp. nov., and two known species (<i>Helminthosporium submersum</i> and <i>H. velutinum</i>) within Massarinaceae. The new genus <i>Synhelminthosporium</i> differs from the phylogenetically closest genus <i>Helminthosporium</i> by producing synnematous conidiophores. This work expands our understanding of the diversity of <i>Helminthosporium</i>-like taxa in Sichuan Province, China.
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