Neopestalotiopsis longqishanensis Z. A. Heng & J. Z. Qiu 2025, sp. nov.

Neopestalotiopsis longqishanensis Z. A. Heng & J. Z. Qiu sp. nov. Fig. 4 Type. China • Fujian Province: Longqi Mountain National Nature Reserve, 26°39'28'′N, 117°51'16'′E, on diseased leaves of an unknown shrub, September 2023, Z. A. Heng, holotype HMAS 353369; ex-holotype culture CGMCC 3.28545. China • Fujian Province: Longqi Mountain National Nature Reserve, 26°30'27"N, 117°17'47"E, on diseased leaves of an unknown shrub, September 2023, Z. A. Heng, paratype HMAS 353370; ex-paratype culture CGMCC 3.28546. Etymology. Referring to the locality from which it was collected, Longqi Mountain National Nature Reserve. Diagnosis. Asexual morph on PDA: Conidiomata globose, solitary or aggregated, semi-submerged on PDA, black, conidiophores indistinct, often reduced to conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells hyaline, smooth-walled, cylindrical or jug-shaped. Conidia fusoid, ellipsoid to subcylindrical, straight to slightly curved, 20–24.7 × 4.7–6.7 μm (mean = 22.5 × 5.9 μm); 4 – septate; basal cells obconic, 2.5–5.6 μm (mean = 4.1 μm) long, hyaline, thin- and smooth-walled; the three intermediate cells columnar, versicoloured, septa darker than the rest of cells, 12.9–17.6 μm (mean = 15.2 μm) long; the second cell from the base pale brown, 3.7–6.8 μm (mean = 4.8 μm) long; third cell dark brown 3.7–6.5 μm (mean = 5.1 μm) long; fourth cell brown 4.3–6 μm (mean = 4.9 μm) long; apical cell hyaline, conical to subcylindrical, 2.3–5.4 μm (mean = 3.6 μm) long; with 2–3 tubular apical appendages (mostly 3) arising at different parts of the apical cell, unbranched, filiform, flexuous, 18.5–40.7 μm (mean = 27.3 μm) long; basal appendages single, tubular, unbranched, 3.7–10.8 μm (mean = 7.4 μm) long. Sexual morph: Unknown. Cultivation characteristics. Colonies on PDA attaining 37–41 mm diam. after 7 d at 25 ° C, with black conidiomata clusters on the surface. Edges of the colony waved, colony initially white, becoming grey-white after 14 d, reverse side of the colony, pale honey-coloured. Notes. Neo. longqishanensis (CGMCC 3.28545 and CGMCC 3.28546) formed a distinct branch to Neo. surinamensis (CBS 450.74 and CBS 111494) with 96 % ML / 0.95 BYPP statistical support (Fig. 1). The ex-holotype strain Neo. longqishanensis (CGMCC 3.28545) is closely related to Neo. surinamensis (CBS 450.74) and comparisons of their nucleotides showed 9 bp nucleotide differences in three loci (3 bp for ITS, 5 bp for tub 2 and 1 bp for tef 1). Neo. longqishanensis is morphologically distinct from Neo. surinamensis with narrower conidia 4.7–6.7 μm vs. (7 –) 7.5–9 (– 9.5) μm and shorter basal cells 2.5–5.6 μm vs. 5–7.5 μm (Maharachchikumbura et al. 2014 b).