Neohormodochis D.P.Wei & K.D.Hyde, gen. nov.
MycoBank number: MB; Index Fungorum number: IF; Facesoffungi number: FoF 12297;
Etymology: The epithet refers to the close phylogenetic relationship with Hormodochis.
Type species: Neohormodochis septispora D. P. Wei and K. D. Hyde, sp. nov.
Saprobic on dead twigs. Sexual morph: Undetermined. Asexual morph: Conidiomata perithecial, immersed, conical to subglobose, gregarious, white-pruinose. Conidiomatal wall consisting of hyaline, intricate hyphae, encompassed with crystalline substances. Conidiophores reduced to conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells holoblastic, hyaline, cylindrical, developing from hyphae of conidiomatal wall. Conidia hyaline, ellipsoidal, two-celled, occasionaly asepate, slightly curved, forming branched chains.
Notes: Neohormodochis was introduced to accommodate the new species N. septispora which was found on dead twigs in Yunnan Province, China. The new species nested with Hormodochis as a sister clade. Hormodochis is known from three asexual morphic species viz. H. aggregata, H. eucalypti and H. melanochlora. All three species have non-pruinose conidiomata, non-crystalline conidiomatal wall of thin-walled, brown textura angularis, holothallic conidiogenous cells with upper cells becoming fertile, septate and disarticulating into arthroconidia. The arthroconidia are olivaceous brown, aseptate, subcylindrical to somewhat doliiform, with truncate ends (Crous et al. 2020a). However, Neohormodochis septispora produces white-pruinose conidiomata, crystalline conidiomatal wall and hyaline, holobalstic conidiogenous cells with upper cells becoming fertile and budding new conidia rather than arthroconidia. The conidia of N. septispora are hyaline, ellipsoidal, dominantly septate, slightly curved, round at both ends. Phylogenetic placement and differences on morphology of conidiomata, conidiomatal wall, and conidia as well as conidiogenesis separate our collections from Hormodochis.
Species