Xylaria jichuanii W. Y. Zeng & Q. R. Li, 2024

Zeng, Wenyu, Habib, Kamran, Zhou, Xin, Ren, Yulin, Shen, Xiangchun, Wang, Bei, Kang, Yingqian, Kang, Jichuan & Li, Qirui, 2024, Morphology and multigene phylogeny reveal four new Xylaria (Xylariales, Xylariaceae) species from karst region in China, MycoKeys 108, pp. 169-196 : 169-196

Xylaria jichuanii W. Y. Zeng & Q. R. Li sp. nov.

Fig. 2

Etymology.

The epithet “ jichuanii ” pays tribute to the renowned mycologist, Prof. Jichuan Kang, in recognition of his valuable contributions to the field of mycology.

Type.

China. • Guangxi Province, Fangchenggang City, Shiwandashan National Nature Reserve , 21 ° 43 ' 45 ″ N, 107 ° 37 ' 19 ″ E, elev. 459 m, on fallen leaves of unknown plants, August 2023, Wenyu Zeng & Xin Zhou, SWDS 1 ( GMB 4703 Holotype; KUN-HKAS 134915 Isotype; GMBC 4703 ex-type) .

Description.

Saprobic on fallen leaves of an unknown plant. Sexual morph: Stromata 1–4.2 cm total length, solitary, upright or prostrate, cylindrical, unbranched, straight to most often sinuous to contorted, the stipe glabrous, 4–18 mm long, the base slightly swollen; fertile part 5–16 × 1–2 mm, cylindrical, surface blackish, with conspicuous to half-exposed perithecial mounds, externally black, interior white. Perithecia 371–776 μm diam., subglobose to globose, texture soft. Ostioles papillate. Asci 84–144 × 5.6–8.6 μm (x ̄ = 119 × 7.5 μm, n = 30), 8 - spored, unitunicate, cylindrical, apically rounded, with a J +, hat-shaped, apical apparatus bluing in Melzer’s reagent, 4–6 × 4–5.5 μm (x ̄ = 4.9 × 5.0 μm, n = 30). Ascospores 13.5–17 × 5–8 μm (x ̄ = 15.1 × 6.5 μm, n = 30), uniseriate, unicellular, brown to dark brown, ellipsoid to inequilateral, with broadly rounded ends, smooth, with a straight germ slit, equal to the length of the spores, lacking sheath; surrounded with a hyaline sheath swelling at both ends to form papillate non-cellular appendages, sometimes retaining a cellular appendage within a noncellular appendage, epispore smooth. Asexual morph: Undetermined.

Culture characteristics.

Colonies on OA reaching 1.5–2 mm diam. after 2 weeks at 25 ° C, white at first, with irregular margins, then extension spreading toward the edge of the Petri dish; the overall color is light white.

Additional material examined.

China. • Guangxi Province, Fangchenggang City, Shiwandashan National Nature Reserve , 21 ° 43 ' 55 ″ N, 107 ° 37 ' 24 ″ E, elev. 482 m, on fallen leaves of unknown plants, August 2023, Wenyu Zeng & Xin Zhou, SWDS 1-1 ( GMB 4707 ; GMBC 4707 ) .

Notes.

Phylogenetically, it is closely related to Xylaria amphithele and X. petchii . However, X. amphithele differ from the new collection by its smaller (≤ 50 mm) stromata which are conical to globose at the fertile part, large asci 130–220 μm in total length with the spore-bearing part being 80–120 μm long. Furthermore, X. amphithele has a smaller apical apparatus (3.5–4.5 × 2–3 μm), and smaller perithecia (300–550 μm broad) ( Ju and Hsieh 2023). Xylaria petchii differs by having a conical to subglobose fertile part (1–10 × 0.5–2 mm), composed of clusters of perithecia near the top of the stromata, smaller perithecia (250–550 µm in diameter), and smaller ascospores (7.5–10 × 3.5–5 µm) with a sigmoid germ slit ( Ju and Hsieh 2023). Morphologically, it is closely related to X. ficicola , which can be easily distinguished from X. jichuanii by its conical to subglobose capitate fertile head, and larger apical apparatus measuring 5–7.5 × 3–3.5 µm. Additionally, it possesses larger ascospores (16–22.7 × 6.5–8.5 µm) with a round hyaline noncellular appendage of up to 5 × 5 μm ( Ma et al. 2011).

Figures

Figure 2. Xylaria jichuanii (GMB 4703) A type material B stroma C surface of stroma D transverse section of stroma E longitudinal section of stroma F-H asci with ascospores I a J +, ascus apical apparatus (stained in Melzer’s Reagent) J – L ascospores M colonies of Xylaria jichuanii on OA. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (C – E); 20 µm (F – L).