Members of Diaporthe are known as plant pathogens, endophytes or saprobes on a wide range of host plants. Diaporthe species are well-known as the causal agents of many important plant diseases; including root and fruit rots, dieback, stem cankers, leaf spots, leaf and pod blights, and seed decay (Udayanga et al., 2011). Diaporthe helianthi is the causal agent of one of the most important diseases of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) worldwide, and is also listed in the Chinese quarantine directory (Thompson et al., 2011). For plant pathologists, studying of phytopathogenic Diaporthe spp. is therefore particularly important to work on wide range of plant diseases (e.g. grapes, sunflowers, soybean, and various diseases associated with ornamentals and forest trees). The taxonomy of Diaporthe spp. has recently been reviewed in several impactful studies (Udayanga et al., 2011; Gomes et al., 2013).