Conoideocrella tiankengensis W. H. Chen, Y. F. Han, J. D. Liang & J. H. Zhao, 2025

Chen, Wan-Hao, Shu, Hui-Lin, Li, Dan, Liang, Jian-Dong, Ren, Xiu-Xiu, Wijayawardene, Nalin N., Han, Yan-Feng & Zhao, Jie-Hong, 2025, Morphological and phylogenetic evidence reveals three new arthropod-associated species of Hypocreales (Clavicipitaceae, Bionectriaceae, and Myrotheciomycetaceae) from karst habitats in Guizhou, China, MycoKeys 123, pp. 319-353 : 319-353

Conoideocrella tiankengensis W. H. Chen, Y. F. Han, J. D. Liang & J. H. Zhao sp. nov.

Fig. 6

Etymology.

Referring to its location, Monkey-Ear Tiankeng, where the fungus was first discovered.

Type.

China • Guizhou Province, Guiyang City, Monkey-Ear Tiankeng ( 27°5'12.138'’N, 107°0'48.42'’E). On a dead scale insect ( Coccoidea), on the leaf, 6 April 2024, Wanhao Chen, GZAC KY 0407 , holotype; KY 04071 , ex-type .

Diagnosis.

Differs from Conoideocrella luteorostrata by its shorter and hyaline conidiophore, two types of phialides and fusiform to filiform conidia.

Description.

Colonies grow slowly on PDA at 25 ◦ C, attaining a diam. of 26–39 mm in 14 days, white to cream-white mycelium at first, turning pale yellow with age. Colonies loose on the edge and compact in the middle. Hyphae smooth, septate, hyaline, 1.7–2.4 μm wide. Conidiophores hyaline, smooth-walled, with single phialide or whorls of 2–4 phialides or verticillium-like from hyphae directly, 13.6–23.2 × 1.6–2.6 μm (x ̄ = 17.2 × 2.0 μm, n = 30). Two types of conidiogenous structures were present. Hirsutella-like asexual state arises from hyphae, conidiogenous structures with slender base tapering more or less evenly to a neck, hyaline, produced directly on the hyphae, 15.1–27.1 × 1.6–1.8 μm (x ̄ = 21.4 × 1.7 μm, n = 30). Isaria-like conidiogenous structures also arises from hyphae, cylindrical to ellipsoidal, somewhat inflated base, tapering to a thin neck, 9.8–13.5 × 1.4–1.8 μm (x ̄ = 10.8 × 1.7 μm, n = 30). Conidia hyaline, smooth, fusiform to filiform, forming short divergent and basipetal chains, 5.3–6.7 × 1.6–2.2 μm (x ̄ = 5.9 × 1.8 μm, n = 30).

Host.

Scale insect ( Coccoidea).

Habitat.

Near the road, located on the leaf.

Additional strain examined.

China • Guizhou Province, Guiyang City, Monkey-Ear Tiankeng ( 27°5'12.138'’N, 107°0'48.42'’E). On a dead scale insect ( Coccoidea), on the leaf, 6 April 2024, Wanhao Chen, KY 04072 (living culture) .

Remarks.

Conoideocrella tiankengensis was identified as Conoideocrella , based on the BLASTn result in NCBI and the phylogenetic analysis of the combined datasets 1 and 3 (Figs 1 , 3 ). It clustered into an independent clade with a close relationship with C. luteorostrata with high statistical values (100 % ML / 1 PP). Compared with the typical characteristics, C. tiankengensis can be distinguished from C. luteorostrata by its shorter and hyaline conidiophore (13.6–23.2 × 1.6–2.6 μm vs. 150–240 × 2.0–3.0 μm), two types of phialides and fusiform to filiform conidia ( Hywel-Jones 1993). Thus, the morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic results support C. tiankengensis as a new species.

Figures

Figure 1. Phylogram retrieved from IQ-TREE to confirm the familial placements of the new strains using the combined dataset of ITS, LSU, RPB 2 and tef - 1 α gene regions. The statistical values are provided at nodes as ML / PP (ML value above 70 % and BI value above 0.70). The tree is rooted with Gelasinospora tetrasperma (AFTOL-ID 1287), Neurospora crassa (ICMP 6360) and Sordaria fimicola (AFTOL-ID 216). Ex-types and new strains are indicated by the superscript “ T ” and in bold, respectively.

Figure 3. Phylogram retrieved from IQ-TREE of the placement of new strains in Conoideocrella s. str. using the combined dataset of ITS, LSU, RPB 2 and tef - 1 α gene regions. The statistical values are provided at nodes as ML / PP (ML value above 70 % and BI value above 0.70). The tree is rooted with Pleurocordyceps aurantiaca (MFLUCC 17-2113) and P. marginaliradians (MFLU 17-1582). Ex-types and new strains are indicated by the superscript “ T ” and in bold, respectively.

Figure 6. Conoideocrella tiankengensis A. Infected scale insect; B, C. PDA culture plate showing the top (B) and reverse (C) sides of the colony; D – J. Conidiogenous structures and conidia. Scale bars: 10 mm (B, C) and 10 μm (D – J).