Neolophiotrema xiaokongense G.C. Ren & K.D. Hyde, in Ren, Wanasinghe, Monkai, Hyde, Mortimer, Xu, Pang & Gui, Phytotaxa 482(1): 30 (2021)

Index Fungorum number: IF 557888; MycoBank number: MB 557888; Facesoffungi numbers: FoF 09224

Etymology – The generic epithet “xiaokongense” refers to the location where the species was collected.

Holotype – HKAS 107655; living culture, KUMCC 20-0173.

Saprobic on decaying wood. Sexual morph: Ascomata 220–320 × 350–450 (x̅ = 255.6 × 381.1, n = 5) μm, scattered, immersed, coriaceous, globose to subglobose, brown to dark-brown, with 1–2 central ostioles, without KOH extractable pigments. Ostioles 90–110 × 140–160 (x̅ = 97.4 × 149.4, n = 5) μm, short papillate, black, with pink pigment in the inner layer. Peridium 50–60 μm wide at the base, 30–40 μm wide in the top, outer wall composed of several layers, brown to dark-brown, thin-walled cells of textura angularis, inner wall composed of 3–6 layers of loose cells of textura angularis. Hamathecium 1–2 μm wide, comprising numerous, septate, cellular pseudoparaphyses, branched, embedded in a hyaline gelatinous matrix. Asci 110–170 × 15–25 μm (x̅ = 135.5 × 20.9 μm; n = 20) μm, 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindrical-clavate, with a short pedicel. Ascospores 20–30 × 6–7 μm (x̅ = 25.5 × 6.6 μm, n = 30), overlapping bi-seriate, 2-celled, broadly fusiform with rounded ends, straight to slightly curved, 1(–3)-septate, hyaline, smooth-walled, with a primary septum nearly median, deeply constricted at the septum, with large guttules, surrounded by a gelatinous sheath. Asexual morph: Undetermined.

Culture characteristics — Colonies on PDA, reaching 18–20 mm diam, after four weeks at 15–20 °C, with circular, umbonate at the center, rough, crenate, fluffy, zonate, pale pink at the margin, grey to white between margin and center, white at the center, with reddish-brown to light brown pigments diffusing in the agar.

Material examined — China, Yunnan Province, Kunming City, Xiaokong Mountain, (25.171311°N, 102.703690°E), on dead wood of undetermined species, 21 December 2019, Guang-Cong Ren, KM12 (HKAS 107655, holotype); ex-type living culture, KUMCC 20-0173.

GenBank Accession Numbers – SSU: MT957899, LSU: MT957892, ITS: MT957893, tef1-α: MT968871, rpb2: MT968870

Note – In this study, we discovered a new taxon in Anteagloniaceae, which is phylogenetically distinct from the extant genera in this family. The morphological characteristics of Neolophiotrema xiaokongense were compared with those of the other species of Anteagloniaceae. Neolophiotrema xiaokongense is similar to Anteaglonium rubescens and Purpureofaciens aquatica in producing purple pigments in media. Neolophiotrema xiaokongense is morphologically similar to Angustimassarina (Amorosiaceae), Fissuroma (Aigialaceae), Keissleriella (Lentitheciaceae), Lophiotrema (Lophiotremataceae), Pseudocoleophoma (Dictyosporiaceae), Sarimanas (Melanommataceae), Stagonospora (Phaeosphaeriaceae) based on ascospore characteristics (Liu et al. 2015). However, they are phylogenetically distinct (Ariyawansa et al. 2015, Wanasinghe et al. 2018). Refer to Ren et al. (2021).

Figure 1 – Neolophiotrema xiaokongense (HKAS 107655, holotype). a‒c. Appearance of ascomata on host substrate. d. Section of ascoma. e. Peridium. f. Ostiolar neck. g. Pseudoparaphyses. h‒n. Asci. o‒t. Ascospores with visible mucilaginous sheath. u. Ascospore stained in Indian ink to show the mucilaginous sheath. v. Germinated ascospore. w‒x. Culture characters on PDA after 28 days (w = from above, x = from below). Scale bars: d = 150 μm, e = 50 μm, f = 100 μm, g = 15 μm, h‒j = 30 μm, k‒n = 50 μm, o‒u = 20 μm, v = 30 μm, w‒x = 25 mm