earticle

영어

The genus Xylaria, a large and diverse group within Ascomycota, plays an important role in forest ecology as decomposers. Several new Xylaria species have been recently identified. In this study, the morphological and molecular characteristics of Xylaria species found in Korea were analyzed based on the latest classification systems. Notably, species with characteristics similar to Xylaria cubensis and X. rogersii, which were not previously reported in Korea, were identified. X. cubensis grows on rotten wood and is characterized by brownish clavate stromata with rounded apices and small, dark ascospores. X. rogersii, found in Magnolia spp., has long stromata with a dark-brown, fine-striped outermost layer and subhyaline to yellowish single-celled ascospores. Genetic analysis using a combined dataset of internal transcribed spacer, β-tubulin, and RPB2 sequences revealed that these species form a distinct group separate from other known species. Further investigations included detailed macro- and micromorphological studies, as well as molecular analyses to establish their taxonomic positions more precisely.