Zeloasperisporium spartii sp. nov.

Etymology:  Named after the host genus from which it was collected,Spartium.

Holotype: HKAS 124663

MycoBank number: MB; Index Fungorum number: IF; Facesoffungi number: FoF 12900; Fig. ***

Saprobic on decaying stem of Spartium junceum L. Sexual morph: Undetermined. Asexual morph: Conidiomata 113–210 diam μm × 22–36 high μm. (x̅ = 166 × 28 μm, n = 10), solitary or scattered, superficial, flattened, globose to subglobose, brown to dark brown spots, upper wall composed of ellipsoid angular cells, arranged in parallel radiating lines from the center to the outer rim covering the host, with a poorly developed basal layer and an irregular margin. Outer cell layers darker than central cell layers, ostioles lacking. Pycnidial wall 10–20 μm wide, composed of 1–3 layers of thin-walled, pale brown, large cells of textura angularis. Conidiogenous cells 4–6 × 4.5–6 μm. (x̅ = 5.2 × 5.3 μm, n = 20), hyaline or light yellow, globose to subglobose, simple, smooth, Conidia 15–22 × 3–5 μm (x̅ = 19 × 4 μm, n = 30), hyaline, with 2 transverse septa, thin-walled, smooth, lunate to fusiform, straight or curved, wide in the middle, tapering on both sides.

Culture characteristics – Conidia germinating on PDA within 24 hr. Germ tubes produced an end of conidia. Colonies on PDA grow slowly, reaching 1 cm after 4 weeks at 25–27 °C, irregular, hard, irregular bulge, dark brown at the middle with white margins, mycelium superficial to immersed in media.

Material examined – CHINA, Yunnan Province, Kunming City, Kunming Institute of Botanic Garden, decaying stem of Spartium junceum L.  20 April 2021, Ying Gao, GY93 (HKAS 124663, holotype), ex-type living culture, CGMCC: 3.23751.

GenBank numbers –LSU: XXXX, SSU: XXXX

Notes – Based on our phylogenetic analysis of the combined SSU, LSU sequence data, our novel species Zeloasperisporium spartii cluster with the strain of Zeloasperisporium ficusicola (MFLUCC 15-0222). There are great differences between Zeloasperisporium spartii and Zeloasperisporium ficusicola in morphological description. Zeloasperisporium spartii differs Zeloasperisporium ficusicola in bigger conidia (Conidia 15–22 diam μm with lunate to fusiform, 3-septate vs. 14-16 diam μm with fusiform to obclavate or cylindrical, 1-septate) (Hongsanan et al. 2015). A we introduce Zeloasperisporium spartii as a novel taxon.

Fig ***. Zeloasperisporium spartii (HKAS 124663, ex-type). a Conidia on substrate. b. Reverse view of the conidioma. c. Vertical section of the conidioma. e, f. Conidiogenous cells and growing conidia. g. Germinated Conidia. h-k. Conidia. l. Frontal view of the culture. m. Reverse view of the culture. Scale bars: b = 50 µm; c = 20 µm; d = 10 µm; e = 5 µm; f, g = 10 µm; h-k =5 µm.