Pleurocordyceps lanceolatus Y.P. Xiao, T.C. Wen & K.D. Hyde, sp. nov. Fig. 24.

MycoBank number: MB 559474; Index Fungorum number: IF 559474; Facesoffungi number: FoF 10740;
Etymology
: The species name refers to the lanceolate synnemata both on fresh specimen and culture.

Holotype: GZU 17–HSR0420072004

Parasites on larvae of Lepidoptera, in the leaf litter. Sexual morph: Undetermined. Asexual morph: Hyphomycetous. Synnemata 0.2–1.2 cm long, 1–3 mm wide, lanceolate to corniform, solitary to crowded, stipitate, usually unbranched, rarely branched on the PDA, yellow to yellowish on the fresh specimen, covered with conidial masses, white on the PDA, without a fertile head. Conidiophores not clearly identified from hyphae. Phialides of two types, both types observed on the same region of synnemata. α-phialides 12–18 × 1.3–1.6 μm ( = 15 × 1.45 µm, n = 90), directly from hyphae, solitary, usually unbranched, subulate, at the base, 8–14 μm long, tapering into a long neck, 2–4 μm long; β-phialides 20.2–28.9 × 1.6–2.5 μm ( = 21.8 × 2.1 µm, n = 90) usually branched into 2 or 3 phialides, narrowly lageniform to lanceolate, tapering abruptly from the base to the apex. Conidia one-celled, hyaline, smooth, of two types both in culture and fresh collection. α-conidia 1.8–2.5 μm ( = 2.15 µm, n = 90), spherical, forming slimy conidial masses along the synnemata; β-conidia 3–4.4 × 1.4–2.4 μm ( = 3.7 × 1.9 µm, n = 90), fusiform, produced along the synnemata as well as on the mycelium surface of the colony.

Culture characters: Colonies derived from tissue isolation. Colonies on PDA fast growing, reached to 1 cm diam in 7 days at 25 ℃, white, cottony with low mycelial density, reverse white, synnemata growing from the marginal colony. Synnemata 0.2–0.8 cm long, 0.5–2 mm wide, lanceolate to coniform, erect, solitary to crowded, stipitate, branched or unbranched white, covered with conidial masses, without fertile head. Other characters are the same as the fresh collections.

Material examined: China, Guizhou Province, Zunyi City, Wuchuan County, parasitic on larvae of Lepidoptera, on the leaf litter, 20 July 2020, Yu Yang, HSR0420072004, (Holotype: GZU 17–HSR0420072004a), ex-type: GZU 17–HSR0420072004b

Notes: Pleurocordyceps lanceolatus is sister to Pl. marginaliradians (Fig 2: 95% ML / 1.00 PP; Fig. 3: 89% ML / 1.00 PP; Fig. 16: 98% ML / 1.00 PP). However, Po. lanceolatus has 15 bp in ITS, 6 bp in SSU, 4 bp in LSU, 12 bp in TEF, 16 bp in RPB1 and 18 bp in RPB2 differences with Pl. marginaliradians. Pleurocordyceps lanceolatus is distinct from other species of Pleurocordyceps by parasitizing on larvae of Lepidoptera and producing lanceolate to corniform synnemata without a fertile head (Table 11). Thus, we introduce Pleurocordyceps lanceolatus as a new species under Pleurocordyceps.

Fig. 24. Pleurocordyceps lanceolatus (Holotype: GZU 17HSR0420072004a) a Habitat of Perennicordyceps lanceolatus. b Overview of host. c Synnemata on the insect. d Culture. e, f Synnemata on the culture. g Conidiophores. h α-phialides. i β-phialides. j α-conidia. k β-conidia. Scale Bars: g, i = 20 µm, h = 10 µm, j, k = 5.