Aspergillus hebeiensis X. C. Wang, L. Y. Peng & W. Y. Zhuang, 2025

Peng, Lu-Yao, Zhuang, Wen-Ying & Wang, Xin-Cun, 2025, New species of Aspergillus in sections Cavernicolarum and Nigri from terrestrial ecosystems of China (Eurotiales, Aspergillaceae), MycoKeys 124, pp. 275-290 : 275-290

Aspergillus hebeiensis X. C. Wang, L. Y. Peng & W. Y. Zhuang sp. nov.

Fig. 3

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to the type locality.

In Aspergillus subgenus Nidulantes section Cavernicolarum series Hainanici .

Typification.

China • Hebei Province, Handan City, Fengfeng Mining District, Xiangtangshan Caves, one of the First Batch of Key Cultural Relics Units under National Protection of China, Northern Xiangtangshan , 36°32'2"N, 114°9'40"E, in soil under Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco, 17 July 2023, Xin-Cun Wang, culture, Lu-Yao Peng, JJJ 40-31 ( holotype HMAS 354080 , ex-type strain CGMCC 3.29151 ) .

DNA barcodes.

ITS PV 883250, BenA PV 877068, CaM PV 877070, RPB 2 PV 877073.

Colony diam.

7 days, 25 ° C (unless stated otherwise): CYA 15–17 mm; CYA 37 ° C 12–15 mm; MEA 19–20 mm; YES 18–19 mm; PDA 16–17 mm.

Colony characteristics.

On CYA 25 ° C, 7 days: Colonies nearly circular, slightly concave at centers; margins moderately wide, entire; mycelia white and then yellow; texture velutinous; sporulation sparse; conidia en masse greyish; soluble pigments absent; exudates absent; reverse buff to yellow brown.

On CYA 37 ° C, 7 days: Colonies nearly circular or irregular, slightly protuberant at centers; margins narrow to moderately wide, fimbriate; mycelia white and then buff; texture velutinous; sporulation sparse; conidia en masse brownish; soluble pigments absent; exudates absent; reverse buff to yellow brown.

On MEA 25 ° C, 7 days: Colonies irregular, protuberant; margins narrow, entire; mycelia white and then cream; texture velutinous; sporulation sparse; conidia en masse creamish; soluble pigments absent; exudates absent; reverse buff to yellow brown.

On YES 25 ° C, 7 days: Colonies nearly circular, concave at centers, radially sulcate; margins narrow, entire; mycelia pale; texture velutinous; sporulation sparse; conidia en masse greyish; soluble pigments absent; exudates absent; reverse yellow brown to orange brown.

On PDA 25 ° C, 7 days: Colonies nearly circular, protuberant; margins narrow, entire; mycelia white and then cream; texture velutinous; sporulation sparse; conidia en masse creamish to brownish; soluble pigments yellow; exudates absent; reverse buff to yellow brown, occasionally with dark brown sectors.

Micromorphology.

Conidial heads radiate; stipes short, 65–110 (– 140) × 4.0–7.0 µm, not septate, walls thick, smooth, brown; vesicles 8.5–13 × 8.5–13 µm, subglobose to globose; biseriate; metulae 5.0–8.5 × 3.5–6.5 µm, cylindrical to obovate, covering almost a half to two-thirds surface of the vesicle; phialides 5.5–8.0 × 3.5–4.0 µm, flask-shaped; conidia 6.0–7.5 µm, subglobose, vivid green, strongly echinulate.

Additional strain examined.

China • Hebei Province, Handan City, Fengfeng Mining District, Xiangtangshan Caves, one of the First Batch of Key Cultural Relics Units under National Protection of China, Northern Xiangtangshan , 36°32'2"N, 114°9'40"E, in soil under Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco, 17 July 2023, Xin-Cun Wang, culture, Yi-Fan Wang, JJJ 40-12 .

Notes.

This species is the second member of series Hainanici and sister to A. hainanicus (Fig. 1 ; Suppl. material 1: figs S 1 – S 4). It differs from the latter by 29 bp for BenA (93.76 % sequence identity), 16 bp for CaM (97.03 %), and 21 bp for RPB 2 (98.04 %). Morphologically, although both species have short stipes, biseriate conidiophores, and strongly echinulate conidia, the new species is easily distinguished from A. hainanicus by growth on CYA at 37 ° C, vivid green, and smaller conidia (6.0–7.5 vs. 6.0–9.5 µm, Table 4 ).

Figures

Figure 1. Maximum likelihood phylogeny of Aspergillus subgenus Nidulantes section Cavernicolarum inferred from the combined BenA, CaM, and RPB 2 dataset. Bootstrap values ≥ 70 % (left) or posterior probability values ≥ 0.95 (right) are indicated at nodes. Asterisks denote 100 % bootstrap or 1.00 posterior probability.

Figure 3. Aspergillus hebeiensis (JJJ 40-31). A. Colonies: top row left to right, obverse CYA, MEA, YES, and PDA; bottom row left to right, reverse CYA, MEA, YES, and PDA; B – F. Conidiophores; G. Conidia. Scale bars: 17.5 µm (B, C); 15 µm (D); 12.5 µm (E); 10 µm (G, F).