Abstract This study aimed to identify fusarioid fungi in the soils of sustainably managed agricultural areas and a fragment of the Brazilian Caatinga, both in a semi-arid region of Brazil. We provide a survey of peer-reviewed papers reporting the substrates, hosts, and geographic regions in Brazil in which the identified species were of agricultural interest. Soil samples were collected in July 2019, February 2020, and July 2020 from different agroecosystems and a fragment of the Brazilian Caatinga in rural Triunfo, Brazil. Fusarioid fungi were obtained by serial dilution of soil and colony purification using single-conidial culturing. Maximum likelihood evaluation (ML) based on sequences from the tef1-α gene was used to identify fusarioid fungi. The distribution of these species in other agroecosystems and the natural environment in Brazil was assessed by an extensive search of the literature available in public databases. Fusarium annulatum, F. verticillioides, F. lacertarum, and Neocosmospora vasinfecta were identified. These species are distributed throughout Brazil and are registered as plant pathogens, mainly in areas with conventional agriculture. These data reinforce the importance of sustainable soil management in agricultural areas and expand our knowledge of the behavior of these microorganisms in environments without human interference. semiarid semi arid peerreviewed peer reviewed substrates hosts interest 2019 202 Triunfo singleconidial single conidial culturing ML (ML tef1α tefα tef1 α tef databases annulatum F verticillioides lacertarum pathogens agriculture interference 201 20 2

ABSTRACT Two new Penicillium species are reported from soil of an agroforestry system and an Atlantic Rainforest fragment in Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. Using a polyphasic approach, combining partial β-tubulin (BenA), calmodulin (CaM), internal transcribed spacer (ITS), and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) gene sequences and morphological characters, Penicillium gercinae sp. nov. (section Ramigena, series Georgiensia), and Penicillium stangiae sp. nov. (section Lanata-Divaricata, series Dalearum) are described. Descriptions based on morphological features are provided. Penicillium gercinae is phylogenetically closely related to P. georgiense; however, P. gercinae does not grow on Czapek yeast extract (CYA) and has monoverticillate and biverticillate conidiophores. Penicillium stangiae is phylogenetically closely related to P. penarojense and P. vanderhammenii. As diagnostic features, P. stangiae had slower growth on CYA (28-30 mm in 7 days) and on DG18 (6-7 mm in 7 days) and lacked the production of acid on creatine agar. This research contributes to the expansion of knowledge on the taxonomy and diversity of Penicillium species in Brazil.

ABSTRACT A literature-based checklist of species of Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Talaromyces recorded in the Brazilian tropical dry forest (Caatinga), the largest tropical dry forest region in South America, is provided. A total of 130 species (60 Aspergillus, 57 Penicillium, and 13 Talaromyces) are reported. Soil was the most common substrate, with 122 species records. Various reported species are well known in biotechnological processes. This checklist reflects the limited knowledge of fungal species in tropical dry environments. These data provide a good starting point for biogeographical studies on species of Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Talaromyces in dry environments worldwide. In addition, the new species Penicillium vascosobrinhous is introduced, an endophytic fungus isolated from cactus of the Caatinga forest in Brazil.