Pleurocordyceps yunnanensis (Hong Yu bis, Y. B. Wang & Y. D. Dai) Y. H. Wang, S. Ban, W. J. Wang, Yi Li, Ke Wang, P. M. Kirk & Y. J. Yao

Wang, Yi, Wei, De-Ping, Peng, Xing-Can, Kang, Ji-Chuan, Li, Zeng-Zhi, Li, Chun-Ru, Zhang, Xian, Wang, Gui-Ying, Zhou, Yun, He, Xin-Sheng, Chomnunti, Putarak & Wen, Ting-Chi, 2024, Interesting mycoparasites and Paradingleyomyces lepidopterorum gen. et sp. nov. (Hypocreales, Polycephalomycetaceae) from Yunnan Province, China, MycoKeys 110, pp. 185-210 : 185-210

Pleurocordyceps yunnanensis (Hong Yu bis, Y. B. Wang & Y. D. Dai) Y. H. Wang, S. Ban, W. J. Wang, Yi Li, Ke Wang, P. M. Kirk & Y. J. Yao , in Wang et al. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 59 (5): 1076 (2021)

Fig. 6

Description.

Parasitic on Ophiocordyceps nutans ( Ophiocordycipitaceae , Hypocreales ) (Fig. 6 ). Sexual morph: Stromata 12–25 mm long, 0.5–1 mm wide, fibrous, brown, multiple, unbranched. Stipes 5–11 mm long, ca. 0.5 mm wide, brown to pale brown. Fertile head 1–2.5 mm long, 0.7–1.3 mm wide, yellowish to yellow, capitate, rough. Perithecia 160–390 × 55–170 μm (x ̄ = 269 × 115 µm, n = 20), immersed, crowded, ovoid to obpyriform, ostiolate yellow, thick-walled. Peridium 14–46 µm (x ̄ = 32 µm, n = 25) wide, three-layered, comprised of hyaline to yellowish cells of textura prismatica at outer layer to textura angularis at middle layer to textura porrecta at inner layer. Asci 95–235 × 3–6 µm (x ̄ = 172 × 5 µm, n = 40), 8 - spored, with thickened cap. Ascospores filiform, hyaline, multiseptate, disarticulating into many secondary ascospores at maturity. Secondary ascospores 2.5–5 × 1–2 µm (x ̄ = 3.9 × 1.3 µm, n = 40), cylindrical, aseptate, hyaline, smooth-walled. Asexual morphs: see Wang et al. (2015 a).

Material examined.

China • Yunnan Province, Kunming City, the Wild Duck Lake Forest Park ; 17 Sep. 2023; Collected by Yi Wang; Parasitic on Ophiocordyceps nutans ; YYH 13 ( HAKS 131922 ) .

Notes.

The asexual morph of Polycephalomyces yunnanensis was first described by Wang et al. (2015 a) from Ophiocordyceps nutans in Wild Duck Lake Forest Park, Kunming, Yunnan Province. This species was later transferred to Pleurocordyceps by Wang et al. (2021) based on molecular phylogenetic analyses. In this study, a sexual polycephalomyces-like fungus growing on O. nutans was obtained from the same location as the type specimen (Fig. 6 ). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that it groups with strains of Pleurocordyceps yunnanensis with strong support (Fig. 1 ). Therefore, we introduce our specimen as the new sexual morph of Pl. yunnanensis .

Figures

Figure 1. Phylogenetic tree of Polycephalomycetaceae based on a concatenated data matrix of SSU, ITS, LSU, tef- 1 α, rpb 1, and rpb 2. Bootstrap values greater than or equal to 75 % and Bayesian posterior probabilities greater than or equal to 0.80 are shown at the respective nodes. Newly added taxa from this study are highlighted in red.

Figure 6. Pleurocordyceps yunnanensis (HAKS 131922) A habitat B – D stromata of Pl. yunnanensis growing from the host (Ophiocordyceps nutans) E fertile head F cross-section through fertile head G perithecium H peridium I – K asci L, M part of asci N part of ascospore O, P secondary ascospores. Scale bars: 5 mm (C, D); 1 mm (E); 100 µm (F, G); 50 µm (H – K); 20 µm (L, M); 5 µm (N – P).