Stagonospora endophytica H. Liu & H. Sang 2025, sp. nov.

Stagonospora endophytica H. Liu & H. Sang sp. nov. Fig. 16 Etymology. Name refers to endophyte. Description from living culture CMML 20-37. Sexual morph: undetermined. Asexual morph: Sporulation observed on MEA. Conidiomata globose, dark brown, 73–105 μm diam. (Fig. 16 b – f). Conidiophores reduced to conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells 5–8.5 × 4–7.5 μm, hyaline, smooth, ampulliform, produced from the inner wall of conidiomata (Fig. 16 g). Conidia smooth, 1–3 septate, globose or ellipsoidal with obtuse ends, constricted at septa, 15–22 × 7–9 μm (Fig. 16 h – l). Type. Korea • South Jeolla Province, Hwasun, isolated from roots of Zoysia japonica, October 2020, H. Liu and H. Sang, holotype CMML 20-37 H (permanently preserved in a metabolically inactive state), ex-holotype CMML 20-37, ex-isotype CMML 20-93. Culture characteristics. Colony reaching the edge of the PDA plates (90 mm) after 7 days in darkness at 25 ° C, front side white to yellowish, centre brown, reverse side faint yellow (Fig. 16 a). Notes. Phylogenetic analysis of Stagonospora was performed using sequences of ITS, SSU, LSU, RPB 2 and TUB 2. Strains in the present study CMML 20-37 and CMML 20-93 fell into a distinct single clade, supported by a high statistical support (100 % / 1.00) (Fig. 17), sister to clade comprising ex-type strain of S. tauntonensis (BRIP 70573) and representative strains of S. tauntonensis (BRIP 70684), S. bicolor (ATCC 42652) and S. poaceicola (NCYUCC 19-0350). In morphology, these two strains differ from S. tauntonensis (Crous et al. 2022 b) and S. bicolor (previously Leptosphaeria bicolor; Kaiser et al. (1979)) in having globose conidia and visible contraction at septa of conidia. For S. poaceicola, sexual morph was described and asexual morph of this species remains undetermined. Thus, based on phylogenetic analysis and morphological characteristics, Stagonospora endophytica sp. nov. was introduced in this study.