Neosulcatispora hongheensis L. S. Dissan., Wanas., Phookamsak & J. C. Xu 2026, sp. nov.

Neosulcatispora hongheensis L. S. Dissan., Wanas., Phookamsak & J. C. Xu sp. nov. Fig. 3 Etymology. The epithet refers to Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, where the fungus was collected. Holotype. KUN-HKAS 155194. Description. Saprobic on dry leaves of Agave vera-cruz (Asparagaceae). Sexual morph: Undetermined. Asexual morph: Coelomycetous. Conidiomata 90–120 × 100–150 μm (x ̄ = 114.43 × 124.62 μm, n = 10), semi-immersed, to erumpent through host epidermis, solitary, scattered to clustered, becoming aggregated, globose to subglobose, or irregular in shape, visible as dark brown dots on host surface, uni- to bi-loculate, glabrous, with inconspicuous ostiole. Conidiomata wall 30–42 μm (x ̄ = 37.14 μm, n = 10) wide, comprising 3–4 layers of broaden to flattened, brown to dark brown, pseudoparenchymatous cells, of textura angularis, slightly paler brown to hyaline towards the inner layer. Conidiophores reduced to conidiogenous cells; or with a supporting cell, lining the inner cavity, hyaline. Conidiogenous cells lining the inner cavity of the conidiomata, hyaline, smooth-walled, thin-walled, aseptate, ampulliform to lageniform or subcylindrical; some phialidic, with inconspicuous periclinal thickening, while others show tightly aggregated percurrent proliferations at the apex, producing conidia singly. Conidia 7.5–10 × 3.8–6 μm (x ̄ = 8.68 × 4.76 μm, n = 50), solitary, oblong to subcylindrical, or ellipsoidal, straight to irregularly curved, initially hyaline, with two polar and smaller guttules, becoming 3–4 - septate, golden to brown, thick- and rough-walled, prominently striate, becoming dark brown after discharge. Culture characteristics. Colony grows faster on PDA, reaching 30 mm in diameter after seven days at 25 ° C under dark conditions, flat, spreading, with moderate aerial mycelium and margin irregular, white surface and reverse golden brown, producing brown-black pigment when mature. Sporulated after 30 days. In vitro: Stromatic 1400 × 1700 μm, immersed to semi-immersed on PDA, solitary or aggregated, with or without an ostiole, visible as dark brown to black dots. Conidiomata wall comprising brown cells of textura angularis. Conidiophores reduced to conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells lining the inner cavity of the conidiomata, hyaline, smooth-walled, thin-walled, aseptate, ampulliform to lageniform or subcylindrical; some phialidic, with inconspicuous periclinal thickening, while others show tightly aggregated percurrent proliferations at the apex, producing conidia singly. Conidia 10–15 × 4.2–7.4 μm (x ̄ = 12.92 × 5.89 μm, n = 40), solitary, subcylindrical, straight or slightly curved, initially hyaline, becoming 3–4 septate, brown, prominently striate, with striations covering the length of the conidium. Materials examined. China • Yunnan, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Honghe County, 23.2452°N, 102.1546°E, 762 m, on dry leaves of Agave vera-cruz (Asparagaceae), 14 January 2026, L. S. Dissanayake, HS 2 A 2 A (holotype, KUN-HKAS 155194), ex-type culture, KUNCC 25-21589; • ibid., HS 2 A 2 B (isotype, KUN-HKAS 155195), ex-isotype culture, KUNCC 25-21590. Note. The two isolates of Neosulcatispora hongheensis form a fully supported lineage (100 % MLBS, and 1.00 BYPP; Fig. 1) within the clade containing N. agavicola and the type species, N. agaves. Morphologically, N. hongheensis is readily distinguished from these species by its smaller conidiomata and mature conidia with 3–4 septa, whereas N. agaves and N. agavicola produce mainly 1 - septate mature conidia (Table 2). Neosulcatispora strelitziae has smooth, 0–1 - septate conidia measuring (4 –) 5–7 (– 8) × (2.5 –) 3 μm (Table 2), which are narrower and less septate than those of N. hongheensis. However, N. strelitziae is phylogenetically distant from N. hongheensis and is recovered outside Neosulcatispora sensu stricto. Pairwise nucleotide differences between N. hongheensis and N. agavicola are provided in the notes under N. agavicola. The ITS - based phylogeny also recovered the two isolates of Neosulcatispora hongheensis as a well-supported monophyletic lineage with 99.2 % SH-aLRT and 100 % ultrafast bootstrap support, separate from N. agavicola and N. agaves (Suppl. material 1).