Insights on Lulworthiales Inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea and Description of Three Novel Species of the Genus Paralulworthia

The order <i>Lulworthiales</i>, with its sole family <i>Lulworthiaceae</i>, consists of strictly marine genera found on a wide range of substrates such as seagrasses, seaweeds, and seafoam. Twenty-one unidentified <i>Lulworthiales</i> were isolated in previous surveys aimed at broadening our understanding of the biodiversity hosted in the Mediterranean Sea. Here, these organisms, mostly found in association with <i>Posidonia oceanica</i> and with submerged woods, were examined using thorough multi-locus phylogenetic analyses and morphological observations. Maximum-likelihood and Bayesian phylogeny based on nrITS, nrSSU, nrLSU, and four protein-coding genes led to the introduction of three novel species of the genus <i>Paralulworthia</i>: <i>P. candida</i>, <i>P. elbensis</i>, and <i>P. mediterranea</i>. Once again, the marine environment is a confirmed huge reservoir of novel fungal lineages with an under-investigated biotechnological potential waiting to be explored.