Coniella veri D. H. Li, J. W. Xia & X. G. Zhang 2025, sp. nov.

Coniella veri D. H. Li, J. W. Xia & X. G. Zhang sp. nov. Fig. 5 Holotype. China • Yunnan Province: Pu’er City, Yixiang Town, Pu’er Sun River Forest Park, on diseased leaves of Cinnamomum verum (Lauraceae), 22.593953°N, 101.086217°E, 1596.44 m asl., 15 May 2024, D. H. Li, holotype HSAUP 8877-4, ex-type living culture SAUCC 8877-4 = CGMCC 3.27787. Etymology. Named after the species epithet of the host plant, Cinnamomum verum. Description. Hypha superficial, 1.3–3.3 μm wide, branched, multi-septate, hyaline. Asexual morph: Conidiomata spherical, aggregated or solitary, immersed or superficial, some surfaces enveloped in a gelatinous sheath, some surface uneven, sizes inconsistent, initially appearing hyaline, becoming black with mature. Conidiophores cylindrical, septate, branched, straight or slightly curved, densely aggregated, simple, usually reduced to conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells phialidic, simple, aggregative, or solitary, hyaline, smooth, 9.5–17.5 × 1.2–2.5 μm (mean ± SD = 12.5 ± 1.5 × 1.8 ± 0.4 μm, n = 30), with apical periclinal thickening, blastospore at the apex. Conidia elliptical to fusiform, apices acute, widest at the middle, bases tapering to a truncate hilum, multi-guttulate gather at both ends, hyaline, thick-walled, smooth, 6.2–8.8 × 3.6–4.7 μm (mean ± SD = 7.7 ± 0.6 × 4 ± 0.3 μm, n = 30). Sexual morph unknown. Culture characteristics. Colonies on PDA after 14 days of cultivation in the dark at 25 ° C, reaching 81–85 mm in diam., with a growth rate of 5.8–6.1 mm / day; from above: white, medium aerial mycelium, slightly higher at the center, circular, radial, flat; reverse: pale orange in the middle, orange in the edges. Colonies on OA after 14 days of cultivation in the dark at 25 ° C, reaching 72–77 mm in diam., had a growth rate of 5.1–5.5 mm / day; from above: white, sparse aerial mycelium, black pycnidia formed in the center, flat; reverse: similar in color. Additional material studied. China • Yunnan Province: Pu’er City, Yixiang Town, Pu’er Sun River Forest Park, on diseased leaves of Cinnamomum verum (Lauraceae), 22.593953°N, 101.086217°E, 1596.44 m asl., 15 May 2024, D. H. Li, HSAUP 8877-7, living culture SAUCC 8877-7. Notes. Phylogenetic analyses showed that Coniella veri formed an independent clade (Fig. 1) and was closely related to C. cili (GUCC 194020.1 and GUCC 196007.1). Coniella veri can be distinguished from C. cili (GUCC 196007.1) by 31 / 597, 8 / 791, 52 / 869, and 125 / 516 base-pair differences in ITS, LSU, rpb 2, and tef 1 - α sequences, respectively. Morphologically, the conidiogenous cells of C. veri (9.5–17.5 × 1.2–2.5 μm) are shorter than those of C. cili (13–23.5 × 1–2 μm); the conidia of C. veri (6.2–8.8 × 3.6–4.7 μm) are shorter than those of C. cili (5.5–17.5 × 2.5–5 μm); the conidial shape of C. veri is elliptical to fusiform, whereas the conidial size and shape of C. cili exhibit considerable variation, including limoniform, fusoid, clavate, cylindrical, and elongated elliptical forms (Zhang et al. 2024 b). Therefore, we describe our collection as a novel species.