Neomassaria khayae Y.H. Yang, C.F. Liao & Manawas., 2023

Yang, Yunhui, Liao, Chunfang, Manawasinghe, Ishara S., Farias, Antonio Roberto Gomes De & Dong, Zhangyong, 2023, Neomassaria khayae sp. nov., a novel pleosporalean species on Khaya senegalensis from Guangdong Province, China, Phytotaxa 599 (1), pp. 65-77 : 69-70

Neomassaria khayae Y.H. Yang, C.F. Liao & Manawas. , sp. nov. ( FIGURE 2 )

Index Fungorum number: IF559792, Facesoffungi number: FoF 12675.

Etymology: In reference to the plant genus Khaya , which fungus was collected.

Holotype: ZHKU 22-0055

Saprobic on dead stem of Khaya senegalensis . Sexual morph: Ascomata 300–600× 400–600 μm (x̅ = 430 × 500 μm, n = 13), semi-immersed, solitary or gregarious, mostly globose, carbonaceous, uniloculate, dark brown to black, ostiolate, papillate. Ostioles central, short papillate. Peridium 20–100 μm wide (x̅ = 60 μm, n = 30), thick-walled, outer layer comprising 3–6 layers of brown to dark brown, thick-walled cells of textura prismatica, combined with the host tissues, inner layer comprising thin-walled, hyaline cells of textura subcircular. Hamathecium 1–2 μm wide (x̅ = 1.5 μm, n = 20), comprising branched, filamentous, septate, trabeculate pseudoparaphyses between the asci and the apex coated with a gelatinous substance. Asci 100–150 × 15–20 μm (x̅ = 122 × 12 μm, n = 30), 8-spored, cylindrical or clavate, bitunicate, fissitunicate, apically rounded, with an ocular chamber, with a bulbous short pedicel. Ascospores 25–35 × 2–8 μm (x̅ = 30 × 5 μm, n = 30), overlapping-biseriate, 1–2-septate, slightly constricted at the septa, fusiform to ellipsoid, hyaline, straight or slight flexuous, tapering from the middle to both ends, surrounded no mucilaginous sheath, smooth-walled, mature ascospores contain 2–4 distinct refractive oil globules. Asexual morph: Not observed.

Culture characteristics: —Ascospores germinated on PDA within 24 hours at room temperature (25–28˚C), colonies on PDA reaching up to 20 mm diam. after three weeks at 25 °C. Above umbonate, colonies surface has black or grey irregular ring stripes, dense, slightly raised, surface not smooth, with cottony texture, the margin is irregular with crenate, brown in the centre, edges from inside to outside olivaceous black to pale brown. The reverse is dark brown to pale brown at the margin, and black in the centre.

Material examined: — China, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, Haizhu District, Zhongkai University of Agriculture Engineering (23°6′32″ N, 113°16′37″ E, alt. 20 m), on the dead stem of Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss . ( Meliaceae ), 27 July 2021, Y.H. Yang & C.F. Liao, FZL002 (ZHKU 22-0055, holotype), ex-type culture ZHKUCC 22-0104 ; living cultures ZHKUCC 22-0105 , ZHKUCC 22-0106 .

Notes: —In the multigene (LSU, SSU, rpb2, and tef1 -α) phylogenetic analyses of our three isolates ( ZHKUCC 22-0104, ZHKUCC 22-0105, and ZHKUCC 22-0106) formed a sister clade with N. hongheensis ( KUMCC 21-0340 and KUMCC 21-0344) and N. alstoniae ( AS 14/ MFLUCC 21-0213). Our isolation N. khayae have few difference with its closely related taxa by having short papillate, bigger ascomata than N. hongheensis ( KUMCC 21-0340) and N. alstoniae ( AS 14/ MFLUCC 21-0213), thicker peridium than N. hongheensis ( KUMCC 21-0340) and N. alstoniae ( AS 14/ MFLUCC 21-0213). Neomassaria khayae develop ascospores which are 1–2-septate, longer and narrower than N. hongheensis ( KUMCC 21-0340) and N. alstoniae ( AS 14/ MFLUCC 21-0213). In addition, morphological profiles of all Neomassaria species are provided in TABLE 1 . The nucleotide differences between N. khayae and its phylogenetically related species are as follows; N. hongheensis ( KUMCC 21-0344) LSU: 2.24% (19/847 bases), SSU: 0.88% (9/1019 bases), rpb2: 12.33% (128/1038), tef1 -α: 5.58% (50/896); N. alstoniae ( AS 14/ MFLUCC 21-0213) LSU: 1.12% (17/846 bases), SSU: 1.21% (12/988 bases). Therefore, based on both morphological and phylogenetic evidence, N. khayae is described as a new species.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Neomassaria khayae (ZHKU 22-0055, holotype). a–b Appearance of ascomata on the host. c Vertical section of ascoma. d Ostioles e Section through the peridium. f Pseudoparaphyses. g–h Asci. i–k Ascospores. l Germinating ascospore. m Frontal view of a colony on PDA. n Reverse view of a colony on PDA. Scale bars: c, f–h= 50 μm, d, e, i–l = 20 μm.