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

Pestalotiopsis massoniana Q. C. Wang & X. D. Zhou sp. nov. Fig. 10 Etymology. Named after the host, Pinus massoniana. Typus. CHINA • Guangdong Province, Jiangmen City, Taishan County, Chixi Town, 21°53'10"N, 112°57'0"E, on diseased needle of Pinus massoniana, 28 August 2023, Quanchao Wang, Guoqing Li, Feifei Liu & Yuhua Liang (holotype designated here HMAS 353942, dried culture prepared from ZXD 955; ex-holotype culture ZXD 955 = CFCC 72593). 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, (6 –) 7–10.5 (– 13) × (2 –) 2.5–3.5 (– 4) μm (x ± SD = 8.9 ± 1.8 × 3.1 ± 0.5 μm). Conidia fusoid, ellipsoid, smooth, slightly constricted at the septa, 4 - septate, (17 –) 18–20 (– 21) × (5 –) 5.5–6.5 (– 7) μm (x ± SD = 19.1 ± 1.1 × 6.2 ± 0.5 μm); three median cells doliiform, wall verruculose, concolourous, (10.5 –) 12–14 (– 16) μm (x ± SD = 12.9 ± 1.1 μm) long; second cell from the base (3 –) 4–5 μm (x ± SD = 4.4 ± 0.4 μm) long; third cell (3 –) 3.5–4.5 (– 5) μm (x ± SD = 4 ± 0.4 μm); fourth cell (3 –) 4–5 (– 7) μm (x ± SD = 4.5 ± 0.7 μm); apical cell conic with an acute apex, thin- and smooth-walled, hyaline to pale brown, (2 –) 2.5–4 (– 4.5) μm (x ± SD = 3.3 ± 0.6 μm) long, with 2–3 tubular appendages (mostly three); apical appendages arising from an apical crest, unbranched, filiform, bent, (2.7 –) 6.5–13 (– 18) μm (x ± SD = 9.8 ± 3.3 μm); basal cell obconic with a truncate base, thin-walled, hyaline or pale brown, 2.5–4 (– 6.5) μm (x ± SD = 3.4 ± 0.8 μm) long, with one appendage; basal appendage tubular, centric appendage tubular, unbranched, occasionally swollen at the tip, (1.5 –) 2–4 (– 4.5) μm (x ± SD = 2.9 ± 0.9 μm) long. Culture characteristics. Colonies forming abundant flocculent aerial mycelium on PDA at 25 ° C, with regular margins at the edges, with a white appearance, while the reverse side of the colony displayed a light orange colour and 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 28.0, 48.6, 70.5, 81.5 and 63.8 mm, respectively (Fig. 8). Additional materials examined. CHINA • Guangdong Province, Jiangmen City, Taishan County, Chixi Town, 21°53'10"N, 112°57'0"E, on diseased needle of P. massoniana, 28 August 2023, Quanchao Wang, Guoqing Li, Feifei Liu & Yuhua Liang (culture ZXD 956). Notes. Pestalotiopsis massoniana forms a well-supported independent clade (ML / BI = 100 / 1) and is phylogenetically distinct from Pes. alpinicola, Pes. dracontomelon, Pes. lithocarpi and Pes. sabal. (Fig. 3). In detail, Pes. massoniana was distinguished from Pes. alpinicola, Pes. dracontomelon, Pes. lithocarpi and Pes. sabal in ITS (Pes. alpinicola: 3 bp, Pes. dracontomelon: 3 bp, Pes. lithocarpi: 4 bp, Pes. sabal: 4 bp); tef 1 - α gene (Pes. alpinicola: 22 bp, Pes. dracontomelon: 30 bp, Pes. lithocarpi: 27 bp, Pes. sabal: 24 bp); tub 2 gene (Pes. alpinicola: 0 bp, Pes. dracontomelon: no data, Pes. lithocarpi: 1 bp, Pes. sabal: 2 bp). Morphologically, Pes. massoniana shares comparable conidial dimensions with congeners, but exhibits diagnostically shorter apical appendages from Pes. dracontomelon and Pes. lithocarpi (Pes. massoniana: 10.5–16 μm; Pes. dracontomelon: 13–17 μm; Pes. lithocarpi: 12.5–14.5 μm). Similarly, Pes. massoniana possesses significantly shorter basal appendages compared to Pes. alpinicola, Pes. dracontomelon and Pes. sabal (Pes. massoniana: 1.5–4.5 μm; Pes. alpinicola: 3.6–6.2 μm, Pes. dracontomelon: 2–7 μm, Pes. sabal: 3–5.5 μm). Based on both phylogenetic and morphological evidence, we propose the recognition of Pes. massoniana as a novel species.