Samsoniella torquatistipitata J. Bu, K. D. Hyde & T. C. Wen, 2025

Samsoniella torquatistipitata J. Bu, K. D. Hyde & T. C. Wen sp. nov.

Fig. 6 View Figure 6

Etymology.

From the Latin “ torqu ”, referring to the stipe of stroma, is torsional rather than cylindrical.

Description.

Parasitic on ant (Hymenopteran). Sexual morph. Stroma arising from head of ant, orange, single, simple, 4.4 × 0.1–0.3 mm. Stipe fleshy, torsional, reddish-orange, up to 2.7 mm long. Fertile part cylindrical, becoming acuate toward the end, reddish-orange, 1.7 × 0.4 mm. Perithecia lageniform, superficial, 255–368 × 163–244 µm (x ̄ = 288 × 190 µm, n = 5), growing on one side of fertile part. Asci cylindrical, hyaline, 8 - spored, 114–173 × 1.6–3.3 µm (x ̄ = 135 × 2.4 µm, n = 20), with hemispherical cap, 1.7–2.5 × 1.1–1.8 µm (x ̄ = 2.2 × 1.4 µm, n = 20). Ascospores filiform, aseptate, hyaline, 86–125 × 0.3–0.6 μm (x ̄ = 98.6 × 0.5 µm, n = 15), non-disarticulating. Asexual morph. produced on the cultures, hyphomycetous. Hyphae smooth, septate, hyaline, 1.2–2.0 μm (x ̄ = 1.6 µm, n = 30) in diam. Conidiophores smooth-walled, cylindrical or elongated ellipsoid, verticillate with phialides in whorls of two to five or singly along the hyphae, 4.4–18.4 × 1.7–3.9 µm (x ̄ = 8.4 × 2.7 µm, n = 30). Phialides lageniform, 6.1–10.7 µm (x ̄ = 8.0 µm, n = 30) long, basal portion inflated, 1.8–3.5 µm (x ̄ = 2.6 µm, n = 30) wide, tapering abruptly into a thin neck, 0.7–1.4 µm (x ̄ = 0.9 µm, n = 30) wide. Conidia subglobose, hyaline, 1.8–2.8 µm (x ̄ = 2.3 µm, n = 50) in diam.

Culture characteristics.

colonies on PDA reaching 40 mm in 14 days at room temperature, circular, flat, edge entire, mycelia dense, cottony, creamy yellow at centre, becoming white outward, with concentric rings, sporulation, reverse creamy yellow, with radially striate.

Type.

China • Yunnan Province, Puer City, Simao District, Plum Lake Park (22°72'66.83"N, 100°97'83.57"E, alt. 1354.5 m), on an adult ant (Hymenoptera) buried in soil, 25 October 2023, Jing Bu, DSSZ 20231025110 B (holotype HKAS 144411 , ex-holotype KUNCC 24-18535 ) .

Additional materials examined.

China • Yunnan Province, Puer, Simao District, Plum Lake Park (22°75'14.29"N, 100°97'73.13"E, alt. 1338.8 m), on lepidopteran cocoon buried in soil, 26 October 2023, Jing Bu, MZH 20231025119 B (paratype HKAS 144402 , ex-paratype KUNCC 24-18536 ) .

Notes.

The phylogenetic tree (Fig. 2 View Figure 2 ) showed that Samsoniella torquatistipitata constitutes a distinct clade distantly related to S. cristata , S. kunmingensis , S. lurida , and S. tortricidae . A pairwise comparison of 3 P _ TEF, rpb 1, MCM 7, and rpb 2 showed that S. torquatistipitata differs from S. cristata , S. kunmingensis , S. lurida , and S. tortricidae in 1–6 bp, 3–4 bp, 6–9 bp, and 4–16 bp, respectively. Samsoniella torquatistipitata is characterised by the small, single stroma (4.4 mm long), reddish-orange, cylindrical fertile part, superficial, lageniform perithecia, and the association with adult ants. Morphological comparisons of the novel taxa with closely related Samsoniella species are provided in Table 3 View Table 3 . Both morphological characteristics and molecular analyses support this fungus as a new species in Samsoniella ( Jeewon and Hyde 2016) .