New species of dark septate endophytes belonging to Herpotrichiellaceae (Chaetothyriales) from macaw palm from the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes in Brazil

Jaqueline Aparecida de Olivera, Luís Gustavo Silva & Olinto Liparini Pereira

Sydowia 79: 245-266

Published online on October 6th, 2026

Dark septate endophytes (DSE) are a group of endophytic fungi that colonize roots, have darkly pigmented hyphae, and commonly produce microsclerotia. Furthermore, these fungi can exhibit resistance to abiotic and biotic stress. In Brazil, crops such as macaw palm (Acrocomia aculeata), which hold significant economic and environmental value, have been studied to screen for DSE for use in their management. During searches for bioinput candidates of this group of fungi on A. aculeata, many taxonomic novelties were found, including new taxa in Herpotrichiellaceae (Chaetothyriales). Phylogenetic analyses were performed using the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of rDNA, 28S large subunit rDNA (LSU), beta-tubulin (tub2), and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1-a) sequences. This study describes two new species, Exophiala endophytica and Cladophialophora endophytica, and reports the first occurrence of DSE (Herpotrichiellaceae) in the macaw palm. In addition, Veronaea compacta has been reported as a member of the DSE community associated with the macaw palm in Brazil.

Keywords: Acrocomia aculeata, Cladophialophora, Exophiala, new taxa, root endophytic fungi.

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