Paraconiothyrium yunnanensis. L. Lu, K.D. Hyde & Tibpromma, sp. nov. (Figure 7)

MycoBank number: MB; Index Fungorum number: IF; Facesoffungi number: FoF 12764;

Etymology: Name reflects the location Yunnan Province, where the holotype was collected.

Holotype: ZHKU 22-0114

Saprobic on decaying branch of Coffea sp. Sexual morph: Ascomata 150–250×160–260 μm (x̅ = 193 × 214 μm, n = 20), solitary, scattered, immersed to semi-immersed, brown to black, globose or subglobose, coriaceous, small papilla, with small ostiole, ostiolar canal lined without hyaline periphyses. Peridium 16–28μm (x̅ = 22μm, n = 20) wide, thick, composed of 4–6 layers textura prismatica cells, yellowish to brown. Hamathecium 1.5–3 µm wide (x̅ = 2.2 μm, n = 20), hyaline, branched and septate, numerous pseudoparaphyses. Asci 60–110 × 8–11 μm (x̅ = 79 × 9.3 μm, n = 30), 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, oblong or cylindrical, short-stalked, some with club-like pedicel, slightly curved. Ascospores 15 – 18 × 4 – 5 μm (x̅ = 16 × 4.6, n = 30), biseritate or partially overlapping, fusiform or ellipsoidal, yellowish to light brown, 2–4-septate, smooth-walled, penultimate cell enlarged, without sheath and guttulate. Asexual morph: Not observed.

Culture characteristics: Ascospores germinated within 12 h on PDA, growing on PDA reaching around 50 mm after one month at room temperature (25 °C). Colonies circular, filiform, mycelium raised, dark green, a lot of aerial hyphae in edges, the center of the reverse is brown with dark green edges.

Material examined: China, Yunnan Province, Xishuangbanna, on decaying branch of Coffea sp., (1672 m), 12 September 2021, LiLu, JHMH 7 (ZHKU 22-0114, holotype), ZHKUCC 22-0196 = ZHKUCC 22-0197. GenBank number; ITS: ***, LSU: ***, SSU: ***, tef1-α: ***, rpb2: *** (ZHKUCC 22-0196, ex-type); ITS: ***, LSU: ***, SSU: ***, tef1-α: ***, rpb2: *** (ZHKUCC 22-0197).

Notes: Phylogenetic analyses show that Paraconiothyrium yunnanensis is well-separated from Paraco. fungicola with 100% ML, 1.00 BYPP statistical support (Figure 1). Based on BLAST search results of sequence data, ITS and LSU are closely related to Paraco. fungicola, with similarity rates of 98.9% (MK619287) and 99.8% (JX496133), SSU is 99.8% similar to Paraco. variabile (KM096136), rpb2 is 88% (MT473955) similar to Paraconiothyrium sp., and tef1-α is 97% (LT797134) similar to Paraco. cyclothyrioides. In morphological characteristics, our new species is similar to Paraco. magnoliae in having ellipsoidal, yellowish to light brown, and septate ascospores [60]; However, the difference between our new species and Paraco. magnoliae is that ascospores have 2 or 4 septa, without sheath, and the penultimate cell is enlarged, while Paraco. magnoliae ascospores have three septa, sheath, and distinct guttule. Therefore, our isolate is described as a new species from Coffea sp. in China.

Figure 7. Paraconiothyrium yunnanensis. (ZHKU 22-0114). (a,b) Ascomata on a decaying branch of Coffea sp.; (c) Vertical section of an ascoma; (d) Peridium; (e) Pseudoparaphyses; (fi) Asci, arrows indicate club-like pedicel; (j) Germinated ascospore; (ko) Ascospores; (p) Colonies on PDA. Scale bars: (c) = 100 µm; (di) = 15 µm; (jo) = 10 µm.