Beltrania sinensis sp. nov., an endophytic fungus from China and a key to species of the genus.

During a survey of endophytic fungi in plant roots in secondary forests in Yunnan, China, a novel ascomyceteous taxon, Beltrania sinensis, was isolated from Quercus cocciferoides Hand.-Mazz. and Fraxinus malacophylla Hemsl. This novel species is characterized by having oval or obovoid conidiogenous cells with several apical, flat-tipped denticles, and biconic, aseptate, smooth, pale brown conidia with a hyaline to subhyaline equatorial transverse band and apical tubular appendage. Phylogenetic analysis of the combined sequences of the internal transcribed spacer and the LSU rRNA gene confirmed its novel species status within the genus Beltrania. Here, the novel species is described and illustrated, and a taxonomic key to species in the genus Beltrania is provided.