BIONATURE

The fungal family Xylariaceae (Ascomycota) is one of the largest and most ecologically important groups of fungi worldwide. Its members include wood-decomposing saprobes, endophytes living inside plant tissues, and a few species that act as plant pathogens. Although many Xylariaceae species have been reported from India, detailed regional studies are still lacking in several biologically rich areas. This study explores the diversity and taxonomy of Xylariaceae in the Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary, Mt. Abu, Rajasthan — a humid forested region surrounded by an otherwise dry landscape. Fieldwork was carried out during the monsoon and winter seasons from July 2024 to February 2025 along forest trails and moist ravines at elevations between 1000 and 1400 m. Fungal stromata were collected from dead wood. Specimens were photographed in the field and examined in the laboratory using standard morphological and microscopic methods. Characters such as stromatal form, perithecial structure, asci, paraphyses, ascospore size and shape, amyloidity, and germ slit features were studied and compared with published descriptions for accurate identification. In total, five species of Xylariaceae belonging to three genera were recorded: Rosellinia (two species), Kretzschmaria (one species), and Xylaria (two species). Detailed descriptions are provided for Kretzschmaria mangiferae, Rosellinia macrospora, Rosellinia saccardii, Xylaria apiculata, and Xylaria minuta. Some of these taxa represent rarely reported records for the region, extending the known distribution of family Xylariaceae in Rajasthan. These findings show that Mount Abu supports a rich and distinctive xylariaceous fungal community and emphasize the importance of localized surveys for documenting fungal diversity. The study also provides a useful baseline for future taxonomic, ecological, and molecular research on wood-inhabiting fungi in semi-tropical forest ecosystem of Mt. Abu.