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

Coniella diaoluoshanensis D. H. Li, J. W. Xia & X. G. Zhang sp. nov. Fig. 2 Holotype. China • Hainan Province: Diaoluoshan National Forest Park, on diseased leaves of Kadsura longipedunculata (Schisandraceae), 18.660546°N, 109.936445°E, 94.1 m asl., 27 Mar. 2024, D. H. Li, holotype HSAUP 7481-1, ex-type living culture SAUCC 7481-1 = CGMCC 3.27786. Etymology. Named after the collection site of the type specimen, Diaoluoshan National Forest Park. Description. Hypha immersed, 1.9–6.5 μm wide, branched, multi-septate, enlarged towards septum and terminal, hyaline. Asexual morph: Conidiomata nearly spherical, separate, scarce, immersed or superficial, surface uneven, sizes inconsistent, black. Conidiophores cylindrical, aseptate, straight or slightly curved, densely aggregated, simple, smooth, usually reduced to conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells phialidic, simple, aggregative, hyaline, smooth, 8.1–11 × 1.4–2.6 μm (mean ± SD = 9.6 ± 0.8 × 2.1 ± 0.4 μm, n = 30), with apical periclinal thickening, blastospore at the apex. Conidia elliptical or fusiform, apices tapering, subobtuse, apically rounded, widest at the middle, bases tapering to a truncate hilum, multi-guttulate, immature conidia hyaline, mature conidia pale olivaceous, wall darker than pale olivaceous body of conidium, smooth, 7.5–9.3 × 4.7–5.5 μm (mean ± SD = 8.4 ± 0.5 × 5.1 ± 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 75–77 mm in diam., with a growth rate of 5.4–5.5 mm / day; from above: white to cream-colored with age, sparse aerial mycelium at the center, irregularly circular, slightly low; peripheral mycelium dense, concentric rings, flat; colony edge irregular, sparse aerial mycelium, dispersed, striped; reverse: similar in color. Colonies on OA covering entire plate after 14 days of cultivation in the dark at 25 ° C; from above: white, devoid of aerial mycelium at the center, with dispersed and sparse aerial mycelium at the edges; reverse: even white texture. Additional material studied. China • Hainan Province: Diaoluoshan National Forest Park, on diseased leaves of Kadsura longipedunculata (Schisandraceae), 18.660546°N, 109.936445°E, 94.1 m asl., 27 Mar. 2024, D. H. Li, HSAUP 7481-4, living culture SAUCC 7481-4. Notes. Phylogenetic analyses showed that Coniella diaoluoshanensis formed an independent clade (Fig. 1) and was closely related to C. eucalyptigena (CBS 139893), C. eucalyptorum (CBS 112640 and CBS 114852), and C. malaysiana (CBS 141598). Coniella diaoluoshanensis was distinguished from C. eucalyptigena by 4 / 573 and 7 / 791 base-pair differences in ITS and LSU sequences, from C. eucalyptorum (CBS 112640) by 19 / 565, 7 / 793, 68 / 765, and 164 / 539 base-pair differences in ITS, LSU, rpb 2, and tef 1 - α sequences, and from C. malaysiana by 16 / 553, 7 / 783, 67 / 767, and 154 / 488 base-pair differences in ITS, LSU, rpb 2, and tef 1 - α sequences, respectively. Morphologically, C. eucalyptigena lacks asexual sporulation description, making it impossible to compare microscopic structures with C. diaoluoshanensis. However, their macroscopic colony colors differ greatly: on PDA, C. diaoluoshanensis is cream-colored while C. eucalyptigena is salmon; on OA, C. diaoluoshanensis is white on the surface, whereas C. eucalyptigena is rosy buff. Morphologically, since C. eucalyptigena only had a description of sexual morphology, it could not be directly compared with the asexual morphology in this study. Then, C. eucalyptorum and C. malaysiana, which were closely related on the evolutionary tree, were selected for comparison. The conidiogenous cells of C. diaoluoshanensis (8.1–11 × 1.4–2.6 μm) shorter than those of C. eucalyptorum (10–17 × 3–3.5 μm) and C. malaysiana (8.5–18 × 1.5–3.5 μm); the conidia of C. diaoluoshanensis (7.5–9.3 × 4.7–5.5 μm) shorter than those of C. eucalyptorum (9–14 × 6–8 μm) and C. malaysiana (8–11.5 × 3–5 μm); and the mature conidial color of C. diaoluoshanensis (pale olivaceous) was lighter than that of C. eucalyptorum (medium to dark red-brown) and C. malaysiana (pale brown) (Van Niekerk et al. 2004; Crous et al. 2015 a; Alvarez et al. 2016; Zhang et al. 2024 b). Therefore, we describe our collection as a novel species.