Pestalotiopsis and allied genera from Camellia , with description of 11 new species from China

A total of 124 Pestalotiopsis- like isolates associated with symptomatic and asymptomatic tissues of Camellia sinensis and other Camellia spp. from eight provinces in China were investigated. Based on single- and multi-locus (ITS, TEF, TUB2) phylogenies, as well as morphological characters, host associations and geographical distributions, they were classified into at least 19 species in three genera, i.e. Neopestalotiopsis , Pestalotiopsis and Pseudopestalotiopsis . Eight novel species in Pestalotiopsis and three novel species in Pseudopestalotiopsis were described. Our data suggested that the currently widely used loci in Pestalotiopsis -like genera do not consistently provide stable and sufficient resolution tree topologies, especially for Neopestalotiopsis . Moreover, the number, branch pattern and length of the conidial basal appendages were revealed to be phylogenetically informative characters in Pestalotiopsis .