Cordyceps jinyuetanensis J.J. Hu, Bo Zhang & Y. Li, 2021

Hu, Jia-Jun, Zhao, Gui-Ping, Tuo, Yong-Lan, Dai, Dan, Guo, Di-Zhe, Rao, Gu, Qi, Zheng-Xiang, Zhang, Zhen-Hao, Li, Yu & Zhang, Bo, 2021, Morphology and molecular study of three new Cordycipitoid fungi and its related species collected from Jilin Province, northeast China, MycoKeys 83, pp. 161-180 : 161

Cordyceps jinyuetanensis J.J. Hu, Bo Zhang & Y. Li sp. nov.

Figs 7 , 8

Holotype.

China. Jilin Province: Changchun City, Jingyuetan National Forest Park, 43.80°N, 125.50°E, 27 August 2018, Jia-Jun Hu, Bo Zhang & Gui-Ping Zhao (HMJAU 48253, holotype, GenBank Acc. nos.: ITS = MW893253, LSU = MW893278, EF-1α = MZ616770).

Etymology.

Cordyceps jinyuetanensis : referring to Jingyuetan National Forest Park, the location of the holotype.

Diagnosis.

C. jingyuetanensis is different from other species by growing on pupae, orange to light red stromata, immersed and almond-shaped to ovoid perithecia.

Description.

Sexual Morph. Stromata 4-4.5 cm long, multiple, solitary, arising from pupae of Lepidoptera . Fertile apical portion, orange to light red, clavate, 0.8-1.3 cm long and 0.1-0.2 cm wide, obviously distinguishable from the stipe. Sterile stipe fleshy, light yellow to orange, cylindrical, 2.7-3.7 cm long and 0.1-0.2 cm wide, usually with white mycelium at the base. Perithecia immersed to the surface of the fruiting body, almond-shaped to ovoid, 220-340 × 110-220 μm, with a thick wall about 15-20 μm. Asci cylindrical, 225-475 × 3-5 μm, 8-spored, apex of ascus hemispherical to irregular, 3.0-4.0 × 1.4-2.8 μm. Part-spores oblong, 2.8-5.0 × 1.0-1.4 μm, smooth, hyaline in 3% KOH, thin-walled, inamyloid.

Asexual Morph. Unknown.

Host.

Growing on pupae of Lepidoptera .

Distribution.

China (Jilin Province).

Other specimen examined.

China. Jilin Province: Baishan City, Fusong County, Quanyang Town, 42.30°N, 127.29°E, 22 August 2021, Jia-Jun Hu, Bo Zhang & Gui-Ping Zhao (HMJAU 482261, isotype, GenBank Acc. nos.: ITS = MW893271, LSU = MW893273)

Note.

A review of literature revealed that there are about 20 species of Cordycipitiod fungi growing on pupae, like the unusual medicinal fungi O. sinensis (Berk.) G.H. Sung, J.M. Sung, Hywel-Jones & Spatafora, C. militaris , I. cicadae Miq. and also like the two new species, C. ningxiaensis T. Bau & J.Q. Yan and C. qingchengensis L.S. Zha & T.C. Wen, reported from China in 2015 and 2019. Nevertheless, C. jingyuetanensis is different from these Cordycipitiod species; C. ningxiaensis grows on the pupae of Diptera , I. cicadae grows on the pupae of Hemiptera and the stromata of C. qingchengensis are yellow, single or branched on the top. C. hepialidicola Kobayasi & Shimizu from Japan is similar to C. jingyuetanensis in its phylogenetic relationship, but there are distinct morphological differences. Morphologically, the stromata of C. hepialidicola are multiple, branched on the top sometimes, grow from the head of larva of Hepialida or Lepidoptera , have larger perithecia (300-350 × 500 μm) and smaller part-spores (3-4 × 1 μm) ( Kobayasi 1983). In the phylogenetic analysis, C. changbaiensis was placed in separate monophyletic lineages (BPP = 0.92, MLBS = 79%).

Figures

Figure 7. Morphological characters of Cordyceps jingyuetanensis (HMJAU 48253, holotype) a stromata and host of Cordyceps jingyuetanensis b host of Cordyceps jingyuetanensis c, d surface of fertile apex of ascostroma e, f part-spores g-k ascus l-o apex of ascus. Scale bars: 1 cm (a); 2 mm (b, c); 500 μm (d); 5 μm (e, f); 20 μm (g-k); 10 μm (i-o).

Figure 8. Microscopical characters of Cordyceps jingyuetanensis (HMJAU 48253, holotype) a perithecia b apex of ascus c part-spores. Scale bars: 100 μm (a); 5 μm (b, c).