Pestalotiopsis ningboensis Q. C. Wang & X. D. Zhou 2025, sp. nov.

Pestalotiopsis ningboensis Q. C. Wang & X. D. Zhou sp. nov. Fig. 11 Etymology. Named after the collection site of the type specimen, Ningbo City. Typus. CHINA • Zhejiang Province, Ningbo City, Xiangshan County, Fengmenkou Forest Park, 29°5'44"N, 121°57'19"E, on diseased needle of Pinus elliottii, 19 April 2023, Quanchao Wang & Guiyong Cao (holotype designated here HMAS 353934, dried culture prepared from ZXD 39; ex-holotype culture ZXD 39 = CFCC 72585). Description. Sexual state not seen. Conidiomata in culture sporodochial, saucer-shaped, scattered or gregarious, superficial to immersed, shining, releasing black conidial masses on the surface. Conidiophores branched, subcylindrical, hyaline to light brown, indistinct, often reduced to conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells cylindrical or ampulliform, hyaline, smooth-walled, solitary to aggregated, (5.5 –) 6.5–12.5 (– 17.5) × (1.5 –) 2.5–3.5 (– 4) μm (x ± SD = 9.5 ± 2.9 × 2.9 ± 0.6 μm). Conidia fusoid, ellipsoid, smooth, slightly constricted at the septa, 4 - septate, (21 –) 21.5–25 (– 27) × (6 –) 6.5–7.5 (– 8) μm (x ± SD = 23.2 ± 1.8 × 6.8 ± 0.5 μm); three median cells doliiform, wall verruculose, concolourous, (12.5 –) 14–16 (– 17) μm (x ± SD = 15 ± 1 μm) long; second cell from the base (4 –) 4.5–5.5 μm (x ± SD = 4.9 ± 0.4 μm) long; third cell (4 –) 4.5–5.5 μm (x ± SD = 4.9 ± 0.4 μm); fourth cell (4 –) 4.5–5.5 (– 6) μm (x ± SD = 5.2 ± 0.5 μm); apical cell conic with an acute apex, thin- and smooth-walled, hyaline to pale brown, 3–4.5 (– 5.5) μm (x ± SD = 3.8 ± 0.6 μm) long, with 2–3 tubular appendages (mostly three); apical appendages arising from an apical crest, unbranched, filiform, bent, (5.5 –) 10.5–16.5 (– 19) μm (x ± SD = 13.5 ± 3 μm); basal cell obconic with a truncate base, thin-walled, hyaline or pale brown, (2 –) 3.5–5.5 (– 6) μm (x ± SD = 4.5 ± 1 μm) long, with one appendage; tubular; basal appendage centric, unbranched, occasionally swollen at the tip, (2 –) 5–8 (– 9) μm (x ± SD = 6.3 ± 1.5 μm) long. Culture characteristics. Colonies forming flocculent aerial mycelium on PDA at 25 ° C, with regular margins at the edges, white to isabelline, the back colony light orange, forming black conidiomata with black conidial masses. Optimal growth temperature at 25 ° C, no growth at 5 ° C and 35 ° C; after 10 d, colonies at 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 ° C reached 27.0, 39.9, 42.7, 72.9 and 28.6 mm, respectively (Fig. 8). Additional materials examined. CHINA • Zhejiang Province, Ningbo City, Xiangshan County, Fengmenkou Forest Park, 29°5'44"N, 121°57'19"E, on diseased needle of Pinus elliottii, 19 April 2023, Quanchao Wang & Guiyong Cao (culture ZXD 40). Notes. Two strains representing Pes. ningboensis form a well-supported independent clade (ML / BI = 100 / 1) and is phylogenetically distinct from Pes. thunbergii (Fig. 3), but differs in ITS (4 bp), tub 2 (6 bp) and tef 1 - α (4 bp). Morphologically, Pes. ningboensis can be distinguished from Pes. thunbergii by its shorter and narrower conidia (Pes. ningboensis: 21–27 × 6–8 μm vs. Pes. thunbergii: 20–34 × 6–10 μm); shorter apical appendages (Pes. ningboensis: 5.5–19 μm vs. Pes. thunbergii: 6.5–29.5 μm).