Three New Colletotrichum Fungal Species from Chinese Forest Trees

Shuji Li's research identifies and formally describes three new species of Colletotrichum fungi isolated from symptomatic leaves of Archidendron lucyi, Litsea pungens, and Malus hupehensis trees in China. The dataset includes morphological descriptions, illustrations, and multilocus phylogenetic data supporting species delimitation within the dracaenophilum and gloeosporioides complexes. The data was published on figshare in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Train a classifier to assign fungal isolates to the dracaenophilum or gloeosporioides complex using multilocus phylogenetic sequence data (FAS files).
• Analyze morphological character data (likely in XLSX) to correlate colony traits with phylogenetic clades for the three new species.
• Expand known host range databases by linking the new Colletotrichum archidendri, C. litseae, and C. brunni species to their specific tree hosts (Archidendron lucyi, Litsea pungens, Malus hupehensis).
• Use the detailed species descriptions and illustrations (DOCX) as a reference for identifying similar Colletotrichum strains in future surveys.

Strengths

• Formally describes 3 novel fungal species with supporting phylogenetic and morphological evidence.
• Includes data across multiple file types: textual descriptions (DOCX), likely tabular morphological data (XLSX), and genetic sequence alignments (FAS).
• Published under a permissive CC-BY-4.0 license in 2026, ensuring recent and reusable data.

Limitations

• The dataset is very small at 476.9 KB, indicating limited sample size, likely from only three host tree species.
• Geographic scope is restricted to an unspecified location or region within China, limiting generalizability.
• No explicit column names or sample data are provided, making initial data exploration and structure assessment difficult.

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Shuji Li.

Collection Method

Fungal strains were isolated from leaf samples displaying necrotic lesions, with species delimitation based on multilocus phylogeny and documented morphology.

Freshness

Last updated April 2026.

Geography

China (specific forest locations not detailed).