Neoascochyta yunnanensis Y. Wang, Y. Tu, X. Chen, H. Jiang, H. Ren, Q. Lu, C. Wei & W. Lv sp. nov.

Fig. 9

Etymology.

Named after the location where it was collected, Yunnan Province.

Description.

Sexual morph: undetermined. Asexual morph: Pycnidia smooth, subglobose to ellipsoidal, hyaline. Conidia ellipsoidal to subcylindrical, pale yellow to green, smooth- and thin-walled, abundant, generated from pycnidia, aseptate, 8.5–11.7 × 4.5–7 µm (av. = 9.9 ± 0.9 × 5.4 ± 0.6 µm, n = 30). Mycelia lateral branching, septate, hyaline.

Culture characteristics.

Colonies on PDA reaching 42–45 mm diam. after 7 days 28 ° C in the dark, margin regular, aerial mycelium flat, whitish; reverse black to pale buff. Pycnidia and conidia produced on the colony surface after being cultured for 14 days at 28 ° C in the dark. Colonies on OA reaching 34 – 39 mm diam. after 7 days at 28 ° C in the dark, margin irregular, aerial mycelium flat, black in the centre, white edges; reverse concolorous.

Materials examined.

China, Yunnan Province, Puer City, Jingdong Yizu Autonomous County, from healthy leaves of C. sinensis, 13 Jun 2020, Y. C. Wang, Holotype HMAS 352391, culture ex-type CGMCC 3.24253 = YCW 1883.

Notes.

Neoascochyta yunnanensis is closely related to N. rosicola with high statistical support (99 % / 1, ML / PP, Fig. 4). Neoascochyta yunnanensis has 2 bp differences in ITS from N. rosicola . In the present study, one strain was isolated from healthy tea plant leaves. It was isolated and identified from tea plant for the first time.