Alloleptosphaeria italica Wanasinghe, Camporesi, Ariyawansa & K.D. Hyde, sp. nov.

Index Fungorum number: IF 551461, Facesoffungi number: FoF 01153

Etymology: in reference to its occurrence in Italy.

Holotype: MFLU 15-1517

Saprobic on dead branches in terrestrial habitats. Sexual morph: Ascomata250–200 high × 150–200 µm diam. (x̅ = 217.9 × 166.8 µm, n = 10), solitary, scattered, immersed to semi-erumpent, globose or subglobose, dark brown to black, coriaceous, outwardly fusing with the host tissue, ostiolate. Ostiole30–70 µm diam (x̅ = 43.8 µm, n = 10), papillate, black, smooth, ostiolar canal filled with sparse periphyses, upper covering of ostiole comprising short, light brown setae-like structures. Peridium10–15 µm wide at the base, 10–20 µm wide at the sides, composed with brown to dark brown, or reddish brown, pseudoparanchymatous cells of texturaangularis. Hamathecium comprising numerous, 1.5–2.5µm (x̅ = 2, n = 30) wide, filamentous, branched septate, pseudoparaphyses. Asci 60–75 × 7–10 µm, (x̅ = 66.4 × 8.3 µm, n = 40), 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindric-clavate to clavate, with a bulbous pedicel, thick-walled at the apex, with ocular chamber. Ascospores 13–19 × 4–6 µm (x̅ = 17.2 × 4.8 µm, n = 50), overlapping 1–2-seriate, initially hyaline, becoming yellowishbrown at maturity, narrowly ovoid to clavate, 3-septate, constricted at the septa, cell above central septum widest, narrowly rounded at both ends, smooth-walled, lacking a mucilaginous sheath. Asexual morph: undetermined.

Material examined: Italy, Forlì-Cesena Province, San Piero in Bagno, Valbonella, dead and hanging branches of Clematis vitalba (Ranunculaceae), 27 Sep 2013, E. Camporesi (MFLU 15-1517, holotype); ex-type living culture, MFLUCC 14-0934

Fig. Alloleptosphaeria italica (holotype). a Appearance of ascomata on host substrate. b Section of ascoma. c Close up of ostiole with short, hyaline periphyses. d Peridium. e Pseudoparaphyses. f–h Asci. i–l Ascospores. Scale bars: b = 100 µm, c = 20 µm, d =10 µm, e = 5 µm, e–h = 10 µm, i–l = 5 µm.