Pestalotiopsis chamaeropis Maharachch., K.D. Hyde & Crous, 2014

Fig. 4

Description.

On carnation leaves ( Dianthus caryophyllus) supplanted on WA (NTUPPMCC 21-054). Sexual morph was not observed in culture. Asexual morph: Conidiomata acervular, globose, semi-immersed, solitary or gregarious, 200-350 μm diam.; oozing globose, black conidial masses. Conidiophores obclavate to subcylindrical, 1-3-septate, branched, hyaline, smooth, sometimes merged to conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells oval to cylindrical or fusiform, hyaline, smooth, (4.8-)5.1-5.7(-5.9) × (20-)21.3-23.9(-25.5) μm, x- ± SD = 5.4 ± 0.3 × 22.6 ± 1.3 μm . Conidia fusoid, straight or slightly curved, 4-septate, smooth, (2.4-)3.2-5(-5.4) × (4.6-)6.2-10.5(-12.4) μm, x- ± SD = 4.1 ± 0.9 × 8.4 ± 2.2 μm, bearing appendages; basal cell obconic with a truncate base, hyaline, thin-walled, (3.7-)4.2-5.4(-6.2) μm long, x- ± SD = 4.8 ± 0.6 μm; three median cells subcylindrical, pale brown, concolourous, thick-walled, the first median cell from base (3.8-)4.1-4.7(-5) μm long (x- ± SD = 4.4 ± 0.3 μm), the second median cell (4-)4.2-4.8(-5.3) μm long (x- ± SD = 4.5 ± 0.3 μm), the third median cell (3.9-)4.3-5(-5.2) μm long (x- ± SD = 4.6 ± 0.3 μm), together (12-)12.8-14.2(-15.1) μm long (x- ± SD = 13.5 ± 0.7 μm); apical cell conical to subcylindrical with a truncate or acute apex, hyaline, thick-walled, (3.6-)4-4.7(-5.1) μm long (x- ± SD = 4.3 ± 0.4 μm). Appendages tubular, hyaline, straight or slightly bent, apical appendage 2-3 (mostly 3), unbranched, (8.8-)10.8-17.2(-23.9) μm long (x- ± SD = 14.0 ± 3.2 μm), basal appendage 1-2 (mostly single), centric, unbranched, (2.9-)4.5-7.7(-10.0) μm long (x- ± SD = 6.1 ± 1.6 μm).

Culture characteristics.

Colonies on PDA reaching 71.3 mm diam. on average after culturing at 25 °C in the dark for seven days, flat with smooth edge, aerial mycelium dense, white; reverse similar in colour.

Materials examined.

Taiwan, Taichung City, Heping District, Yuanzui Mountain, on stroma of Ophiocordyceps sp. parasitic on a cocoon ( Lepidoptera), 6 July 2021, Ming-Syun Wu, living culture NTUPPMCC 21-054 (= CD09) .

Notes.

For ML, MP and BI with both single locus and concatenated datasets used in the present study, isolate NTUPPMCC 21-054 formed a clade sister to the clade containing the ex-type strains of P. chamaeropis (CBS 186.71) and P. daliensis (CGMCC 3.23548) with high statistical support. However, we did not find clear morphological support to consider our isolate as a separate species because NTUPPMCC 21-054 showed overlapping morphologies with both P. chamaeropis (CBS 186.71) and P. daliensis (CGMCC 3.23548) (Suppl. material 1: table S6). Therefore, giving priority to the oldest name between P. chamaeropis and P. daliensis, we tentatively named NTUPPMCC 21-054 as P. chamaeropis rather than introducing it as a new species. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of P. chamaeropis in Taiwan.