Hermatomyces jinghaensis
Hermatomyces jinghaensis G.C. Ren & K.D. Hyde 2021
Index Fungorum number: IF 558165
Etymology: The species epithet “jinghaensis” refers to the location where the species was collected.
Saprobic on unidentified woody litter. Sexual morph Undetermined. Asexual morph Colonies on natural substrate forming sporodochial conidiomata, superficial, scattered, small groups, circular, sterile mycelial outer zone enclosing a black velvety margin, dense, thick, black sporulating center, shiny, glistening, circular or oval, conidia readily liberated when agitated. Mycelium superficial, branched, septate, hyaline to pale brown, 2–3 μm wide. Conidiophores 30–45 × 2–3 μm, mononematous, cylindrical, straight or flexuous, smooth, pale brown. Conidiogenous cells 4–6 × 2–3 μm, monoblastic, integrated, terminal, determinate, often arising directly on the superficial mycelium, cylindrical, ampulliform, hyaline to pale brown, smooth finely verruculose. Conidia dimorphic solitary, smooth-walled. Lenticular conidia 30–40 × 25–30 μm ( = 37 × 28 μm, n = 20), 21–25 μm thick, thick-walled, circular to oval in front view, smooth, solitary, muriform, central cells brown to dark brown, peripheral cells hyaline to subhyaline, forming a wide and distinct ring, sometimes slightly constricted at septa, obovoid or oblong in lateral view, central cells brown to dark brown, peripheral cells pale brown to brown. Cylindrical conidia 33–43 μm in length, 11–13 µm wide in broadest part of lower cells (= 39 × 12 μm, n = 20), clavate or subcylindrical, straight or flexuous, septate, constricted distinct at the septa, with large guttules, consisting of one or two columns, each column with 6–8 cells, apical cell rectangular to globose, smooth, hyaline, smooth, basal cells acute, rectangular to cylindrical, pale brown.
Known host and distribution: Unidentified woody litter (China)
Material examined: China, Yunnan Province, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Jinghong, Jingha (21°78.06'N, 101°05.61'E), on unidentified woody litter, 19 December 2019, D.N. Wanasinghe, DW57 (HKAS 112167, holotype), no living culture.
Notes: Hermatomyces jinghaensis is introduced as a new species based on its distinct morphology and the phylogenetic results of a combined LSU, ITS, tub2, tef1-α and rpb2 dataset. Hermatomyces jinghaensis nested with H. clematidis and H. trangensis in a strongly supported monophyletic group (99% ML, 100% MP, 1.00 PP). Hermatomyces jinghaensis is characterized by both lenticular and cylindrical conidia. Hermatomyces jinghaensis differs from H. clematidis in having cylindrical conidia with one or two columns, each of which has 6–8 cells with large guttules, while the latter has 5–6 cells for each column conidia. Hermatomyces trangensis differs from H. jinghaensis in having only lenticular conidia.