Eight novel cave fungi in Thailand s Satun Geopark

Abstract

Karst caves are unique oligotrophic ecosystems characterised by the scarcity of organic litter darkness low to moderate temperatures and high humidity supporting diverse fungal communities. Despite their importance little is known about the fungi in karst caves in Thailand. In 2019 we explored the culturable mycobiota associated with three selected types of substrates (air soil/sediment and organic litter samples) from two karst caves the Le Stegodon and Phu Pha Phet Caves in the Satun UNESCO Global Geopark in southern Thailand. Based on morphological characters and multilocus phylogenetic analyses eight new species (Actinomortierella caverna Hypoxylon phuphaphetense Leptobacillium latisporum Malbranchea phuphaphetensis Scedosporium satunense Sesquicillium cavernum Thelonectria satunensis and Umbelopsis satunensis) were described illustrated and compared to closely related species. These new fungal taxa form independent lineages distinct from other previously described species and classified into eight different families across six orders and two phyla (Ascomycota and Mucoromycota). This paper provides additional evidence that the karst caves located within the Satun UNESCO Global Geopark situated in the southern region of Thailand harbour a diverse range of newly discovered species. ? 2023 Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute.