Simplicillium neocoleopterorum W.H. Chen, Y.F. Han & J.D. Liang, 2024

Chen, Wan-Hao, Li, Dan, Shu, Hui-Lin, Liang, Jian-Dong & Han, Yan-Feng, 2024, Taxonomic and phylogenetic characterizations reveal two new species and a new record of Simplicillium (Cordycipitaceae, Hypocreales) from the Mayao River Valley, Guizhou, China, Phytotaxa 677 (3), pp. 278-288 : 281-283

Simplicillium neocoleopterorum W.H. Chen, Y.F. Han & J.D. Liang , sp. nov. ( Fig. 2 )

MycoBank 849099

Etymology: —Referring to a new insect host in order Coleoptera .

Type: — CHINA. Guizhou: Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Duyun City , Mayao River Valley (26°22'8.3748"N, 107°23'16.96"E), on a dead ladybug ( Coleoptera ), 4 September 2021, Wanhao Chen , GZAC DY09148 (holotype) ; ex-type living culture, DY091481.

Colonies on PDA reaching a diameter of 29–30 mm in 14 days at 25 ℃, convex, with white velutinate aerial mycelium, reverse yellowish to brownish, especially in the middle, margin entire, soluble pigment not produced. Vegetative hyphae branched, hyaline, smooth-walled, septate, 1.0–1.3 μm wide. Phialides produced on aerial hyphae, always solitary, aseptate, hyaline, smooth-walled, relatively slender, and tapering toward the tip, 22.5–30.0 × 1.3–1.9 μm. Conidia hyaline, ellipsoidal to globose, aseptate, smooth-walled, 1-celled, 2.1–3.2 × 1.6–2.1 μm. Octahedral crystals absent. Sexual state not observed.

Host: —Ladybug ( Coleoptera ).

Additional strain examined: — CHINA. Guizhou: Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Duyun City, Mayao River Valley (26°22'8.3748"N, 107°23'16.96"E), on a dead ladybug ( Coleoptera ), 4 September 2021, Wanhao Chen, DY091482 (living culture).

Note:— Simplicillium neocoleopterorum was readily identified as Simplicillium based on the blast result in NCBI and the phylogenetic analysis of combined datasets (ITS, LSU, TEF) ( Fig. 1 ), and clustered into an independent clade. When comparing the typical characteristics, S. neocoleopterorum has close relationship with S. araneae W.H. Chen, Y.F. Han, J.D. Liang & Z.Q. Liang , S. coleopterorum W.H. Chen, Y.F. Han, J.D. Liang & Z.Q. Liang , S. formicae D.P. Wei & K.D. Hyde and S. sinense X.Y. Yuan, Jing Z. Sun & H.W. Liu by its ellipsoidal to globose conidia and absent of octahedral crystals. However, S. neocoleopterorum was easily distinguished from these four species based on the phylogenetic analysis of combined datasets (ITS, LSU, TEF). Thus, the combined analysis of morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic results support S. neocoleopterorum as a new species.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Phylogenetic relationships among the new strains and species of Simplicillium based on a multigene dataset (ITS, LSU and TEF). Statistical support values (≥ 50%/0.5) are shown at the nodes for maximum likelihood bootstrap support/Bayesian inference posterior probabilities.

FIGURE 2. Simplicillium neocoleopterorum A infected ladybug B, C PDA-containing culture plate showing B the front and C reverse sides of the colony D–K phialides, conidia in chains and conidia. Scale bars: 10 mm (B, C); 10 μm (D–K).