Paraconiothyrium variabile Riccioni, Damm, Verkley & Crous, Persoonia 20: 13 (2008)

MycoBank number: MB 511290; Index Fungorum number: IF 511290; Facesoffungi number: FoF 10758; Fig. **.

Saprobic on dead stems of Rhododendron sp. Sexual morph: Undetermined. Asexual morph: Conidiomata eustromatic, complex, mostly submerged in the agar, but also superficial on club moss fragments, globose  to  subglobose,  dark  brown  to  black,  ostioles  absent,  (0.2–)0.3–0.5(–0.9) mm diam. Conidiophores reduced to conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cell  discrete,  phialidic,  ampulliform,  hyaline  to  pale  brown,  3–5  ×  5–7(–9) μm. Conidia hyaline when liberated, later pale brown, cylindrical to short-cylindrical,  rounded  at  both  ends,  aseptate,  sometimes  1-septate,  thin  and smooth-walled, with 2–5 oil guttules, 1–2(–3) × (7–)8–9(–10) μm.

Material examined – China, Yunnan Province, on dead leaves of Rhododendron sp., 3 October 2019, Napalai Chaiwan, 1710R10 (MFLU T1*–**, holotype).

HostActinidia chinensis, Actinidia deliciosa, Laurus nobilis, Prunus persica, Prunus salicina Rhododendron sp.—(This study).

Distribution – South Africa, Italy, Turkey, China—(This study).

GenBank accession numbers – MFLU **; SSU: ***; ITS: ***;

NotesParaconiothyrium variabile is a strain recorded from the different host of other plants host (Damm et al. 2008). The SSU and ITS phylogenies also support P. variabile as same species (Fig **). Thus, the new strain is introduced as a new host record of P. variabile based on isolated   from the vegetative reproductive structures. This is the first report of one isolated from Rhododendron sp.

Figure *** Paraconiothyrium variabile (MFLU ***, herbarium). a–b Appearance of fungus on host substrate. c–g Conidiophore. h–j Conidia. k–l Culture. Scale bars: a,b=1000 μm. d–f=20 μm. c, g–j=10 μm.