Ochraceocephala foeniculi Voglmayr & Aiello, sp. nov.

MycoBank number: MB 833934; Index Fungorum number: IF 833934; Facesoffungi number: FoF 11566; Figure 3

Etymology. referring to its host genus, Foeniculum (Apiaceae).

Colonies fast-growing, at room temperature (22 ± 1 °C) on CMD reaching 80 mm after 7 d; on MEA 38 mm after 7 d; with dull white to cream surface, upon conidiation becoming beige to olive yellow from the centre, reverse cream with greyish to dark brown centre; cottony, with abundant surface mycelium; sporulation abundant on aerial hyphae. Aerial hyphae hyaline, 2–6 µm wide. Conidiophores hyaline, produced terminally or laterally on aerial hyphae, variable in shape and branching, unbranched, loosely or densely branched up to two times; branching commonly irregularly verticil- late. Phialides arising singly or in whorls of 2–5, (3.8–)5.8–13.5(–21.0) × (2.5–)3.0– 4.3(–5.5) µm (n = 100), cylindrical, lageniform or ampulliform, often with a distinct collarette, producing basipetal conidial chains; polyphialides rarely present. Conidia (3.2–)3.5–6.0(–8.5) × (2.5–)3.0–4.2(–6.0) µm, l/w (1.0–)1.1–1.5(–2.1) (n = 155), hyaline to yellowish, in masses sand to olive yellow, smooth, mostly globose to subglobose, rarely broadly ellipsoid to pip-shaped, thick-walled.

Distribution. Italy (Sicily).

Host and substrate. Pathogenic on crown, roots and stems of living Foeniculum vulgare.

Holotype. Italy, Sicily, Catania province, Adrano, May 2017 (WU 40034); ex- holotype culture CBS 145654; ex holotype sequences MN516753 (ITS), MN516774 (LSU), MN516743 (SSU), MN520145 (RPB2), MN520149 (TEF1), MN520147 (TUB2).

Figure 3. Ochraceocephala foeniculi, holotype a culture on CMD (7d, 22 °C) b culture on MEA (21d, 22 °C) c conidiophores on aerial hyphae producing yellowish brown conidial masses in chains d–j, l, m unbranched (g–i) and verticillately branched (d–f, j, l, m) conidiophores (MEA, 21d, 22 °C) with phialides; in f with polyphialide (arrow) k, n, o phialides with collarettes (arrows) and young conidia p conidia. All microscopic preparations from MEA (21d, 22 °C) and mounted in water. Scale bars: 200 µm (c); 10 µm (d–j, l, m, p); 5 µm (k, n, o).