Pleurodesmospora sanduensis J. Bu, K. D. Hyde & T. C. Wen, 2025

Pleurodesmospora sanduensis J. Bu, K. D. Hyde & T. C. Wen sp. nov.

Fig. 4 View Figure 4

Etymology.

In reference to the location of the type specimen, Sandu County of Guizhou Province, China.

Description.

Parasitic on adult Lepidoptera. Sexual morph. Undetermined. Asexual morph. Colonies on natural specimen white, sparse, only covering the abdomen of host. Conidiophores micronematous, cylindrical, erect or procumbent, sparsely branched, smooth, hyaline, septate, ca. 1.3–2.8 μm (x ̄ = 2 µm, n = 30) in width, from the middle part to the distal end densely covered by numerous minute, dentiform pegs, 0.7–1.8 × 0.5–0.8 µm (x ̄ = 1 × 0.7 µm, n = 25). Conidia obovoid, globose, smooth-walled, 2.7–4.8 × 1.4–2.5 µm (x ̄ = 3.7 × 2 µm, n = 30), arranged in short chains.

Culture characteristics.

colonies on PDA reaching a diameter of 42 mm in three weeks at room temperature, white, circular, velvety, flat, edge entire, surface wrinkled, with radially striate, mycelia dense at centre, becoming loose outward, reverse cream-yellow.

Type.

China • Guizhou Province, Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Sandu County, the Yaoren Mountain (25°59'41"N, 107°56'41"E, alt. 987.1 m), on a dead adult of Lepidoptera on leaf litter, 08 July 2023, Jing Bu, YRS 23070803 B (holotype HKAS 144399 , ex-holotype KUNCC 24-18538 ) GoogleMaps .

Notes.

Six-locus phylogenetic analyses show that the Pleurodesmospora sanduensis is separated from other species of Pleurodesmospora with strong statistical support (100 % SH-aLRT / 100 % UFB / 1.00 PP, Fig. 1 View Figure 1 ). Pleurodesmospora sanduensis is phylogenetically closely related to P. acaricola and P. entomophila . Pairwise nucleotide differences between P. sanduensis and P. entomophila ( Tan and Shivas 2023) revealed 6 bp in nrLSU, 28 bp in ITS, 25 bp in 3 P _ TEF, and 74 bp in rpb 2. These molecular divergences support the recognition of P. sanduensis as a novel species, consistent with the taxonomic thresholds proposed by Jeewon and Hyde (2016). Pleurodesmospora sanduensis is similar to P. acaricola in producing loose and white colonies covering the host. However, Pleurodesmospora sanduensis differs from P. acaricola by its larger conidia (2.7–4.8 × 1.4–2.5 µm vs. 2.5–3 × 2 µm) in chains, but it is solitary in P. acaricola ( Yeh et al. 2021) . Additionally, chlamydospores are observed in P. acaricola , while it is absent in P. sanduensis .