Clonostachys divergens andChrysosporium merdarium: Two New Records from Soil in Korea

During an investigation of micro-fungi in soil, two fungal isolates belonging to the phylum Ascomycota, namely KNUF-20-NI011 and KNUF-20-NI006, were collected from Gyeongbuk Province and Dokdo Island in Korea and identified as Clonostachys divergens and Chrysosporium merdarium, respectively. The fungal isolates were confirmed through molecular phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer regions, 28S rDNA large subunit, and β-tubulin sequences. Cultural and morphological characteristics were observed and determined using different media. These species were identified based on phylogenetic relationships along with their cultural and morphological characteristics. To our knowledge, this is the first report on Clonostachys divergens and Chrysosporium merdarium in Korea.