Erioscyphella gelangheica L. Luo, K. D. Hyde, H. L. Su & C. J. Y. Li 2025, sp. nov.

Erioscyphella gelangheica L. Luo, K. D. Hyde, H. L. Su & C. J. Y. Li sp. nov. Fig. 4 Etymology. The epithet “ gelangheica ” refers to the collection site Gelanghe township where the holotype specimen was collected. Holotype. HKAS 135689. Description. Saprobic on dead bark. Sexual morph: Apothecia scattered to partly gregarious, superficial, 0.24–0.5 mm in diameter, 0.35–0.5 mm high when dry, discoid to cupulate, long stipitate, externally covered with short, white to yellowish hairs. Discs concave, surface slightly rough, white to yellow. Margin flat to slightly involute, white to pale yellow, covered with white to pale yellow hairs. Receptacle discoid to cupulate, white to pale brown, clothed entirely with short, white to slightly yellow hairs. Stipe 0.06–0.18 mm in diameter, 0.14–0.3 mm long when dry, cylindrical, solitary, white to pale yellow, clothed with white to pale yellow hairs. Hairs 28–117 × 1.6–3.9 µm (x ̄ = 60 × 2.9 µm, n = 30), clavate to cylindrical, straight to slightly curved, septate, hyaline, thin-walled, covered with hyaline granules, obtuse apex. Hymenium 65–120 µm (x ̄ = 85 µm, n = 12), concave, surface slightly rough, light yellow in dry. Medullary excipulum 23.5–65 µm (x ̄ = 37 µm, n = 18), thin, hyaline to light yellow, thin-walled cells of textura intricata, 1.3–3.6 µm (x ̄ = 2.2 µm, n = 50) in diameter. Ectal excipulum 20–95 µm (x ̄ = 48 µm, n = 18) thick, thin-walled, smooth, hyaline cells of textura porrecta to textura globulosa, 1.6–4.2 µm (x ̄ = 2.7 µm, n = 60). Paraphyses 25–68 × 0.9–2.0 µm (x ̄ = 43 × 1.3 µm, n = 25), longer than asci, filiform, straight, aseptate, hyaline, thin-walled, rough, with slightly acute apex. Asci 35–58 × 2.2–3.60 µm (x ̄ = 46 × 3.0 µm, n = 34), 8 - spored, unitunicate, clavate, straight to slightly curved, inoperculate, hyaline, wall apically thickened, laterally relatively thin, slightly smooth, with an apical, amyloid pore and tapered ends, J + in MLZ. Ascospores (85 / 6 / 2) 6.0–8.3 × 1.2–1.8 µm, (x ̄ = 7.3 × 1.5 µm, n = 86), partially biseriate, filiform, aseptate, thin-walled, hyaline, rough with tapering towards the obtuse ends, partially oil guttules, subspherical, hyaline, slightly smooth. Asexual morph: Not observed. Material examined. China • Yunnan Province, Xishuangbanna City, Menghai County, Gelanghe township, altitude 2097 m, on the decayed unidentified bark, 6 September 2022, Cuijinyi Li, LCJY 1389 (HKAS 135689, holotype); • ibid., Hongli Su, SU 1978 (HKAS 135695, paratype). Notes. Our specimens, HKAS 135689 and HKAS 135695, were grouped in a distinct clade, separated from the clade comprising E. abnormis, E. sclerotii, E. ailaoensis, E. brasiliensis and E. aseptata by 78 % MLBS and 0.88 BIPP (Fig. 1). Erioscyphella gelangheica has shorter asci (35–58 µm vs. 41–104 µm), ascospores (6.0–8.3 µm vs. 39–81 µm), and paraphyses (25–68 µm vs. 52–123 µm) than those of E. abnormis (Perić and Baral 2014). Erioscyphella gelangheica differs from E. sclerotii by having long stipitate apothecia and aseptate ascospores, while E. sclerotii has short stipitate apothecia and 1–3 - septate ascospores. Our species, E. gelangheica, has shorter asci (35–58 µm vs. 85–143 µm), ascospores (6.0–8.3 µm vs. 45.5–97 µm), and paraphyses (25–68 µm vs. 100–138 µm) than those of E. ailaoensis. Furthermore, E. ailaoensis has septate ascospores in contrast to the aseptate ascospores of E. gelangheica. Compared to long stipitate apothecia with white to pale yellow hairs and aseptate ascospores of E. gelangheica, E. brasiliensis has 0–1 - septate ascospores and stipitate apothecia, with the stipe base often devoid of hairs and blue-black (Haines 1992). In addition to having aseptate ascospores, E. gelangheica has shorter asci (35–58 µm vs. 70–100 µm) and ascospores (6.0–8.3 µm vs. 28.5–45.6 µm) than those of E. aseptata, which has septate ascospores (Ekanayaka et al. 2019). Therefore, E. gelangheica is introduced here as a new species.