Erioscyphella ailaoensis L. Luo, K. D. Hyde & H. L. Su 2025, sp. nov.

Erioscyphella ailaoensis L. Luo, K. D. Hyde & H. L. Su sp. nov. Fig. 2 Etymology. The epithet “ ailaoensis ” refers to the collection site, Ailao Mountain, where the holotype specimen was collected. Holotype. HKAS 135686. Description. Saprobic on the dead bark. Sexual morph: Apothecia scattered to partly gregarious, superficial, 1–2.4 mm in diameter, 0.4–1.4 mm high when dry, discoid to cupulate, shortly stipitate, externally covered with short, white to brown hairs. Disc concave, surface slightly rough, yellow to brown. Margin flat to slightly involute, pale yellow, covered with yellow to pale brown hairs. Receptacle discoid to cupulate, yellow to pale brown, clothed entirely with short, yellow to pale brown hairs. Stipe 0.2–1 mm in diameter, 0.2–0.6 mm long when dry, cylindrical, solitary, yellow to pale brown, clothed with yellow to pale brown hairs. Hairs 22–92 × 3.0–4.3 µm (x ̄ = 51 × 3.7 µm, n = 30), clavate to cylindrical, straight to slightly curved, septate, hyaline, thick-walled, covered with hyaline granules, obtuse apex, apical amorphous or resinous material. Hymenium 120–230 µm (x ̄ = 153 µm, n = 12), concave, surface slightly rough, light yellowish brown in dry. Medullary excipulum 40–90 µm (x ̄ = 58 µm, n = 20), thin, hyaline to light yellow, thin-walled, smooth cells of textura oblita, 2.1–5.9 µm (x ̄ = 3.7 µm, n = 50) in diameter. Ectal excipulum 55–80 µm (x ̄ = 65 µm, n = 20), thin-walled, smooth, light yellowish cells of textura prismatica to globulosa, 2–4.9 µm (x ̄ = 3.0 µm, n = 60) in diameter. Paraphyses 100–138 × 1.6–3.9 µm (x ̄ = 117 × 2.8 µm, n = 25), longer than asci, filiform, straight to slightly curved, aseptate, hyaline, thin-walled, rough, with slightly acute apex. Asci 85–143 × (4.5 –) 5.5–9.0 (– 9.5) µm (x ̄ = 100 × 7.3 µm, n = 34), 8 - spored, unitunicate, overlapping fascicles, clavate, straight to slightly curved, inoperculate, hyaline, apically thickened wall, laterally relatively thin, slightly smooth, with an apical, non-amyloid pore and tapered ends, J- in MLZ. Ascospores (50 / 14 / 2) (43.0 –) 45.5–97 (– 101.0) × 1.4–2.4 (– 2.6) µm, (x ̄ = 68 × 1.9 µm), fascicled, filiform, multi-septate, thin-walled, hyaline, rough with taper, obtuse ends, without oil guttules, hyaline, slightly smooth. Asexual morph: Not observed. Material examined. China • Yunnan Province, Puer City, Jingdong County, Ailao Mountain, altitude 2478 m, on the decayed unidentified bark, 8 June 2022, Hongli Su, SU 872 (HKAS 135686, holotype); China • Xizang Province, Shigatse City, altitude 1774 m, on the decayed unidentified twig, 6 July 2022, Hongli Su, SU 1423 (HKAS 135687, paratype). Notes. Our specimens, HKAS 135686 and HKAS 135687, were grouped as a distinct clade, separated from the clade comprising E. abnormis and E. sclerotii by 73 % MLBS and 0.89 BIPP (Fig. 1). The new species exhibited morphological differences from E. abnormis and E. sclerotii by having J- apical pores, whereas the latter species have apical pores that are J- in MLZ. In contrast to the septate paraphyses of E. abnormis, E. ailaoensis has aseptate paraphyses (Han et al. 2021). Furthermore, asci and ascospores of E. ailaoensis are longer than those of E. sclerotii (Nagao 1996; Perić and Baral 2014). Therefore, E. ailaoensis is introduced here as a new species.