Moelleriella puerensis H. Yu, Z. Q. Wang & Y. Wang, 2022

Wang, Zhi-Qin, Wang, Yao, Wang, Yuan-Bing & Yu, Hong, 2022, A new species of Moelleriella from Yunnan Province in Southwestern China, Phytotaxa 555 (2), pp. 187-194 : 191-192

Moelleriella puerensis H. Yu, Z. Q. Wang & Y. Wang , sp. nov.

Etymology:— Named after Puer City, where the species was first collected.

Holotype:— CHINA. Yunnan Province, Puer City, Simao District, Xinfang Reservoir (N22°28’12”, E 100°57’12”), alt. 1371 m, on whiteflies on abaxial surface of leaves, 7 October 2019, H. Yu ( YHH10001 , holotype; YFCC 8615, ex-holotype culture); Ibid., ( YHH 10002 , paratype; YFCC 8625, ex-paratype living culture) ; Ibid., ( YHH 10003 , paratype; YFCC 8625 ex-paratype living culture).

Sexual morph:— Stromata generally effuse to thin pulvinate with pronounced ovoid tubercles on periphery of stroma, pale yellow, 1.5–3.6 mm in diameter, opaque. Hyphae loose textura intricata to epidermoidea. Perithecia 280–520 × 425–600 µm, fully embedded, ostioles orange, numerous perithecia (>10) per stroma, subglobose to ovoid. Asci 130–285 × 6.0–12.5 µm, cylindrical, hyaline. Apical cap hemispherical, 3.5–5.0 × 6.0–8.5 µm. Ascospores as long as asci, hyaline, filiform, multi-septate, smooth, disarticulating into secondary spores. Secondary spores 7.9–13 × 2.3–3.5 µm, fusiform with rounded ends.

Asexual morph:— Sexual and asexual morph usually existing in the same stroma, exclusively anamorphic stromata pulvinate with sloping sides (convex), pale yellow to orange. Conidiomata aggregated in center of stroma, simple depressions of the surface without distinct rims, several conidiomata per stroma, fusing with neighboring ones, widely open. Conidial masses orange. In section, conidioma flask-shaped or irregular, shallow, 150–180 × 130–170 µm, with phialides formed in a thick compact palisade. Phialides 9–30 × 1–2 µm, cylindrical, slightly tapering towards tip, Conidia 9.7–13.4 × 1.3–2.3 µm hyaline, smooth, one-celled, fusoid, with acute ends, Paraphyses present.

Colonies on PDA at 25°C slow-growing, tomentose, compact, pale yellow. Conidial masses circularly arranged towards center of colonies, abundant, confluent and deep orange. Conidia 11.2–17 × 2.1–3.1 µm. Paraphyses absent. Hirsutella -like synanamorph is present. Phialides 8.5–48.6 × 0.5–1.5 µm, flask-shaped, with a long neck 5.6–41.5 µm long.

Known distribution:— Puer City, Yunnan Province, China.

Notes:— Moelleriella puerensis was similar to M. raciborskii . However, the teleomorph of M. puerensis differed from M. raciborskii in having longer asci and shorter secondary spores ( Liu et al. 2006). The anamorph of M. puerensis differed from M. raciborskii by having shorter conidia; the conidia formed in PDA was wider than M. raciborskii ( Liu et al. 2006) .