Synnematospora pronephrii J. Y. Zhang, Y. Z. Lu & K. D. Hyde, 2025

Synnematospora pronephrii J. Y. Zhang, Y. Z. Lu & K. D. Hyde sp. nov.

Fig. 5 View Figure 5

Etymology.

The species epithet refers to the fungal host, “ Pronephrium penangianum ”.

Diagnosis.

Differs from torula-like species in having macronematous, synnematous conidiophores.

Holotype.

HAKS 129756 About HAKS

Description.

Sexual morph: undetermined. Asexual morph: hyphomycetous. Colonies on natural substrate effuse, scattered, dark brown, with conidial masses at the upper half of conidiophores. Mycelium mostly immersed, composed of septate, smooth, hyaline to brown hyphae. Synnemata composed of compact, parallel, adpressed conidiophores, brown to dark brown, 328–564 μm long and up to 35 μm wide at the base. Conidiophores macronematous, synnematous, cylindrical, unbranched, thick-walled, septate, pale brown to brown, 1.8–2.7 µm wide. Conidiogenous cells, blastic, discrete, ampulliform, flask-shaped, light brown, 2.5–5.3 × 2.8–4.2 µm ( x ̄ = 4 × 3.4 µm, n = 20). Conidia phragmosporous, solitary or catenate, cylindrical to oblong with rounded or truncated ends, straight, thick-walled, (1 –) 3 - septate when mature, constricted at septa, always with a single guttule in each cell, brown, 9–15 × 3.7–5 µm ( x ̄ = 12.5 × 4.4 µm, n = 25). Conidial secession rhexolytic.

Culture characteristics.

Conidia germinating on WA within 15 h and germ tube produced from the ends of conidia. Colonies growing on PDA, reaching ca. 36 mm diameter in 20 days at 26 ° C, circular, with entire margin, flat, with raise in the central part, dry, gray in the central part, brownness to pale brown towards the margin in front; dark brown in the center, paler to light brown towards the edge from below, and not producing pigmentation in cultures.

Material examined.

CHINA • Guizhou Province, Qianxinan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Anlong County, Xianheping National Forest Park , on dead stems of Pronephrium penangianum ( Thelypteridaceae ), 16 March 2022, J. Y. Zhang, J 248 ( HAKS 129756 , holotype; GZAAS 23-0697 , isotype), ex-type living culture KUNCC 23-13965 .

Additional sequence.

ITS ( PV 862368).

Notes.

In the phylogenetic analysis, Synnematospora pronephrii formed a distinct and strongly supported lineage (81 % ML / 0.97 PP, Fig. 1 View Figure 1 ), which is sister to Bahusandhika indica ( GUFCC 18001 ) within Lentimurisporaceae . Members of Bahusandhika are torula-like ( Pratibha et al. 2014; Crane and Miller 2016; Pem et al. 2024). Although the conidial characteristics of Synnematospora pronephrii resemble those of Bahusandhika species (Table 2), the species features macronematous, synnematous conidiophores. These characteristics also clearly distinguish it from other genera in Lentimurisporaceae , which possess sporodochial conidiomata ( Liu et al. 2018 a). Hence, we establish a new genus to accommodate Synnematospora pronephrii based on the morpho-phylogenetic evidence.