Ophiocordyceps contiispora H. Yu & D.X. Tang

MycoBank number: MB; Index Fungorum number: IF; Facesoffungi number: FoF 11708;

Description

Rainforest and subtropical monsoon evergreen broad-leaf forest. Camponotus sp. infected and biting the main vein of a leaf. Dying in an elevated position, collected from 1 m to 2 m above the ground. Sexual state: External mycelium produced dense from joints, covering the host body, sparsely when touching the substrate. Stroma single, produced from dorsal pronotum of the ant, cylindrical, clavate, brown at maturity, Fertile part of lateral cushions produced from the stroma, only one ascoma was observed, disc-shaped, brown, averaging 0.7–1 mm. Perithecia flask-shaped, immersed to partially erumpent, with short, exposed ostiole, 146–224 × 69–122 μm. Asci cylindrical, hyaline, curved, 8-spored, 74–134 × 4–9 μm. Ascus caps were hemispherical or square, small, 1.36–2.88 µm high, 3–5 µm wide. Ascospore fusiform, hyaline, occasionally curved, round to slightly tapered at apex, 29–62 × 2–4 µm. Asexual state: Colonies on PDA medium slow-growing, 28–30 mm diameter in 30 days at 25 C, milky white and light brown, raising cottony-shaped mycelial density, protuberant mycelial at the centrum, reverse light brown to dark brown, the hyphae immersed in the medium were milky white. Hyphae branched, septate, smooth-walled, hyaline. Hirsutella type-C were observed. Conidiophores rare, cylindrical, produced from the hyphae, septate, short, 11–12 × 3–4 µm. Conidiogenous cells monophialidic or rarely polyphialidic, forming on side hyphae or the conidiophores, smooth, swollen base, lageniform, obvious septate, tapering gradually a long neck, straight, 42–97 × 1–4 µm. Conidia olivary or flask-shaped, hyaline, the top of conidia has a protuberance like a spear, smooth-walled, 6–9 × 2–4 µm.

Material examined: CHINA, Camponotus sp. biting the leaves of the tree, 2 October 2019, H. Yu (YHH 20144, neotype).

Distribution: Mengla County, Yunnan Province, China

Sequence data: LSU: ON555913 (LROR/LR5); SSU: ON555832 (NS1/NS4); EF1a: ON567752 (983F/2218R); RPB1: ON568142 (RPB1/RPB1Cr_oph); RPB2: ON568125 (fRPB2-5F/fRPB2-7cR)

Notes: O. contiispora was phylogenetically sister to O. basiascus with high statistical support by BP = 99% and PP = 100%. It was similar to O. subtiliphialides in the behavior of the host biting a leaf, and perithecia with flask-shaped, immersed to few partially erumpent, with short, exposed ostiole, asci cylindrical, producing phialides with lageniform, conidia olivary. However, it differed from O. subtiliphialides by ascospore fusiform, producing Hirsutella type-C phialides, Hirsutella type-A was not found, conidiophores rare, conidiogenous cells monophialidic or rarely polyphialidic, conidia olivary or flask-shaped. Moreover, the size of perithecia, asci, ascospore, phialides and conidia also differed in both species.

Fig. 7. Ophiocordyceps contiispora (YHH 20144). A: Camponotus sp. infected and biting the main vein of a leaf. B: Close-up of the ascoma. C–D: Cross-section of the ascoma showing the perithecial arrangement. E–F: Asci. G-H: Ascospores. I-J: Colonies on PDA medium. K: Conidiophores and phialides. L-N: Conidiogenous cells and conidia. O-P: Conidia. Scale bars: A = 1000 µm; B = 500 µm; C = 200 µm; D = 100 µm; E-F = 20 µm; G-H = 10 µm; I-J = 2 cm; K-N = 20 µm; O-P = 2 µm.