Urnula subcrateria J. R. Lu, F. M. Yu & Q. Zhao, 2023

Lu, Jin-Rong, Yu, Feng-Ming, Zhou, De-Qun, Lu, Zhi-Yun, Zhang, Ying & Zhao, Qi, 2023, Two novel species of Urnula (Sarcosomataceae, Pezizales) from Yunnan, China, Phytotaxa 619 (1), pp. 86-96 : 92-93

Urnula subcrateria J. R. Lu, F. M. Yu & Q. Zhao sp. nov. Fig. 3

Index Fungorum number: IF 900886; FacesofFungi number: FOF 14798

Etymology: “ subcrateria ” refers to the similarity of the type species to Urnula craterium .

Holotype: HKAS129214

Diagnosis. Urnula subcrateria is morphologically similar to U. craterium (Schwein.) Fr. , but can easily be distinguished by its shorter stipe and smaller asci and ascospores.

Description:

Apothecia cupulate to funnel-like, 3.5–5 cm diam. and 2–3.5 cm high, subsessile to stipitate, texture leathery, a margin crenulate to odontoid and frequently deflexed at maturity. Hymenium surface glabrous, brownish black. External surface brown to dark brown, velvety, covered with small irregular flakelike, yellowish to brown patches of tissue. Stipe short and mainly subterranean, but sometimes well developed, covered at the base by a thick subiculum.

External hairs two types: 1) hyphoid, short, cylindrical, septate, subhyaline, light gray to yellowish brown, 2–4 μm in diameter, surface smooth but occasionally dotted by brown to dark brown spots; 2) true hairs which are longer, 4–8 μm in diameter, the true hair-wall about 0.5–1 μm thick, brown to dark brown, undulated, and dotted densely by many small tubercles. Ectacl excipulum 70–100 μm thick, of textura globosa to textura angularis, cells 5–28 μm wide and/or long, yellowish brown. Medullary excipulum 185–310 μm thick, yellowish, of textura intricata within a gelatinous matrix, hyphae hyaline, 1–8.5 μm in diameter with 0.5–1.5 μm wall. Asci cylindrical, 455–642 × 10.5–18 μm, basal parts long-stipe-like, non-amyloid, 8-spored. Ascospores uniseriate, ellipsoidal to short clavate, sometimes slightly bent, rounded at both ends, numerous small warts on the surface of immature spores, smooth when mature, (18.5–)20.5–37(–40) × 10–13.5(–15.5) μm (n= 40, Q =1.5–3.5), with walls up to 0.5–1.5 μm thick; some small. Paraphyses filiform, not or slightly extending the length of the asci, 2.5–5.5 μm in diameter, septate, flexuous, upper part generally branched and embedded in a pale brown pigment, tips simple to branched.

Habitat: On soil humus layer in a humid subtropical forest with many fallen leaves, mosses, and lichens.

Distribution: Currently only known in Yunnan, China.

Material examined: CHINA, Yunnan Province, Dali City, Eryuan County, alt. 3294 m, 16 Apr. 2019, Feng-Ming Yu, FM 19-1 ( HKAS129214 ); same location, 16 Apr. 2019, Feng-Ming Yu, FM 19-4 ( HKAS129215 ).

Notes: Urnula subcrateria is characterized by its cupulate to funnel-like apothecia, subsessile to stipitate, brownish-black hymenium with glabrous surface, two types of external hairs, long-stipe asci, and ellipsoidal to short clavate ascospores. Morphology, U. subcrateria shares similarities with U. criterium (HMAS 33642) in its dark brown to nearly black hymenium, brown to dark brown or nearly black external surface with yellowish to brown patches of tissue. However, compared with U. subcrateria , U. criterium has well-developed stipe, sometimes up to 1.3–1.8 cm in dry materials, and has shorter asci (455–642 μm vs. 280–330 μm) and slimmer paraphyses (2.5–5.5 μm vs. 2–3 μm) ( Zhuang 2004). In this study, Urnula ailaoshanensis is easily distinguished from U. subcrateria by its reddish-brown to ochre hymenium surface, and having wider asci (21–30 μm vs. 10.5–18 μm) and longer ascospores (11.5–17 μm vs. 10–13.5 μm). Two species form their own strong supporting branches respectively and have enough base differences with their relatives ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Maximum likelihood (ML) tree of Urnula and its allies within Sarcosomatacea inferred from combined ITS and LSU dataset. Bootstrap support values for ML ≥ 80 of SH-aLRT or 95 of UFB and posterior probability for BI ≥ 0.95 are indicated above the nodes and separated by ‘-/-/-’ (SH-aLRT/UFB/BIPP). Specimens of the current study are given in red. The letter HT after the sample stands for holotype.

FIGURE 3. Urnula subcrateria (Holotype: HKAS 129214). a, b fresh specimens in the field; c excipulum; d medullary excipulum; e ectal excipulum; f paraphyses; g paraphyses and asci; h external hairs; i type 1 of external hairs indicated by the arrow; j type 2 of external hairs; k–p asci with ascospores, q–x ascospores. Bars: a = 2.5 cm; b = 2 cm; c, k–p= 100 μm; d–i= 20 μm; j, q–x = 10 μm.