Neolentithecia Phukhams., K.D. Hyde & Y. Li, in Hyde et al., Mycosphere 12(1): 1110 (2021)
Index Fungorum number: IF558399; Facesoffungi number: FoF 09841
Etymology – Named after Lentithecium, but phylogenetically distinct.
Holotype – HMJAU 58777
Saprobic on dried twigs. Sexual morph: Ascomata solitary, gregarious, scattered, immersed, as shiny, black, dots visible on the host surface, uniloculate, coriaceous, ostiolate. Ostioles central, black. Peridium thick, multilayered, of cells arranged in textura angularis, brown to dark brown, inner layer lined with sub-hyaline cells of textura angularis. Hamathecium composed of numerous, cellular pseudoparaphyses, with distinct septa, anastomosing at the apex. Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, clavate, with furcate pedicel, apically rounded, and a well-developed ocular chamber. Ascospores biseriate, hyaline to yellowish-brown, oval or obovoid, ends rounded, dictyosporous, constricted at the septa, with or without a mucilaginous sheath. Asexual morph: Undetermined.
Type species – Neolentithecia changchunensis C. Phukhams., K.D. Hyde, W.X. Su & Y. Li
Notes – Muriform ascospores are polyphyletic throughout the Ascomycota (Hongsanan et al. 2020, Wijayawardene et al. 2020). The new genus Neolentithecia is typified by N. changchunensis, which is similar to Lentithecium in having globose, ostiolate ascomata with peridium cells of textura angularis, clavate asci, and muriform ascospores (Wanasinghe et al. 2014). A multi-marker phylogenetic analysis of LSU, ITS, SSU and tef-1 shows that Neolentithecia formed a clade with Lentithecium aquaticum (CBS 123099) (64% ML/1.00 BPP, Fig. 6). Lentithecium is typified with L. fluviatile (Aptroot & Van Ryck.) K.D. Hyde, J. Fourn. & Ying Zhang, which formed a strong statistical support clade sister to Halobyssothecium and Darksidea (Fig. 6). However, L. aquaticum strain CBS 123099 does not cluster within Lentithecium sensu stricto (Calabon et al. 2021b), but forms an individual lineage. Thus, we assign another genus for the strain CCMJ10012, which clustered with L. aquaticum based on phylogenetic analysis but is distinct from L. aquaticum by having well-developed ostioles and brown muriform ascospores (Zhang et al. 2009a, Tanaka et al. 2015). Lentithecium aquaticum (CBS 123099) was described from submerged wood in an aquatic habitat, while Neolentithecia has been found to be associated with woody substrates in terrestrial habitats (Zhang et al. 2009b). The two strains share similar climates in terms of weather and humidity (Jilin Province, China, and France). This suggests that the strains may be limited by geographic barriers. We, therefore, introduce a new genus based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence for a fungal collection of Sorbus species.
Species