Sexual morph of Allophoma tropicaand Didymella coffeae-arabicae(Didymellaceae, Pleosporales, Dothidiomycetes), including novel host records from leaf litter in Thailand

ABSTRACTStudying the taxonomy, diversity and host preference of leaf litter inhabiting microfungi contributes towards elucidating hidden taxa, their host affinities and recovering novel life modes dwelling inside forest ecosystems. Leaf litter-inhabiting microfungi also play a crucial role in forest ecosystems through decomposition and nutrient recycling. This study resulted in the introduction of saprobic Didymellaceaemicrofungi from Doi Tung Forest Reserve, Chiang Rai, northern Thailand. Fungal isolates were characterised based on morphology and molecular phylogeny of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS, LSU) and protein-coding genes (tub2, rpb2). Allophoma tropicaand Remotididymella ageratinaeare recorded from dead leaves of Nayariophyton zizyphifolium(Malvaceae), and Didymella coffeae-arabicaefrom Dalbergia cultrataand Afzelia xylocarpa(Fabaceae).This study also reports the sexual morph of Allophoma tropicaand Didymella coffeae-arabicaeand provides molecular evidence for the first reports of sexual morphs from Thailand.