LAUSR

In an investigation of stromatic Xylariales in Thailand, several specimens of Daldinia were discovered. Three novel species ( D. flavogranulata , D. phadaengensis , and D. chiangdaoensis ) were recognized from a molecular phylogeny based on concatenated ITS, LSU, RPB2 , and TUB2 sequence data, combined with morphological characters and secondary metabolite profiles based on high performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detection and mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). The major components detected were cytochalasins (in D. flavogranulata and D. chiangdaoensis ) and daldinin type azaphilones (in D . phadaengensis ). In addition, D. brachysperma , which had hitherto only been reported from America, was found for the first time in Asia. Its phylogenetic affinities were studied, confirming previous suspicions from morphological comparisons that the species is closely related to D. eschscholtzii and D. bambusicola , both common in Thailand. Daldinia flavogranulata, one of the new taxa , was found to be closely related to the same taxa. The other two novel species, D. phadaengensis and D. chiangdaoensis , share characters with D. korfii and D. kretzschmarioides , respectively.