English
The genus Scutellinia (Pezizales, Pyronemataceae) comprises saprobic discomycetes that contribute to the decomposition of organic matter across diverse terrestrial habitats. Using an integrative taxonomic approach applied to specimens stored in the Korea National Arboretum (KH), we report two species previously unrecorded in Korea, Scutellinia sinosetosa and S. subhirtella. Morphological examinations addressed macroscopic features of the apothecia and, microscopically, asci, paraphyses, marginal hairs, and ascospore size and ornamentation. ITS and LSU rDNA sequences were analyzed, and phylogenetic results placed the Korean collections in well‑supported clades together with the respective reference sequences, thereby confirming their identifications. Diagnostic features distinguishing these taxa from related species include small apothecia and low, reticulate ascospore ornamentation in S. sinosetosa, and medium‑sized ellipsoid ascospores densely covered with discrete, fine verrucae in S. subhirtella, substantiating their occurrence in Korea. This study presents the first Korean records of these two species, expands the known distribution of Scutellinia on the Korean Peninsula, and provides ITS and LSU data for future molecular identification.
*This research was supported by the Korea National Arboretum (Project No. KNA 1-1-28-24-1).
