Gibellula longispora Ming J. Chen & B. Huang, sp. nov.

Chen, MingJun, Wang, Ting, Lin, Yan & Huang, Bo, 2022, Morphological and molecular analyses reveal two new species of Gibellula (Cordycipitaceae, Hypocreales) from China, MycoKeys 90, pp. 53-69 : 53

Gibellula longispora Ming J. Chen & B. Huang, sp. nov.

Fig. 2

Etymology.

Latin " Gibellula longispora " referring to the fungus with slender long conidia.

Type.

China. Anhui Province: Shitai County, Guniujiang National Nature Reserve , on a spider, on unidentified leaf, 1 August 2020, Mingjun Chen & Bo Huang, holotype GNJ20200813-16. GenBank sequence data for GNJ20200813-16: TEF = MW961414 ; RPB1 = MW980145 .

Description.

Mycelium covering the host, white to cream fluffy, light greyish-brown to violaceous-brown when dried. Synnema multiple, cylindrical, growing from abdomen of host spider, cream to yellowish-white. Conidiophores, (19-) 60-153.5 (-170) × 8-10 μm (Fig. 2d ), crowded, lately arising from hyphae loosely attached to the surface of the synnema, verrucose, multiseptate, suddenly narrowing to a tip, then forming a globose vesicle, (5.5-) 6-8.5 (-9.5) × (5-) 5.5-8μm (Fig. 2c, f ). Spherical conidial heads consisting of vesicle, metulae and phialide, (25.5-) 38.5-49 (-50) × (24.5) 36-46.5 (-49) μm. A number of broadly obovate to oval metulae, 6.5-9.5 × (4.5-)5-7 μm (Fig. 2c ), borne on vesicle, each metulae bearing several clavate phialides, (6.5-) 7-9.5 (-11) × (1.5-) 2-3 μm (Fig. 2c, f ). Conidia, 5-7 × 1-2 μm (Fig. 2g ), narrowly fusiform. Teleomorph and granulomanus synanamorphs not observed. (Fig. 2f ).

Habitat.

Occurring on spider attached to the underside of leaf nearby the river.

Additional materials examined.

China. Anhui Province: Shitai County, Guniujiang National Nature Reserve , on a spider, 10 July 2020, Mingjun Chen & Ting Wang, GNJ20210710-02 . China. Guangdong Province: Shenzhen , 10 October 2021, on spiders, Qianle Lu, SZ 20210904-02, and SZ20210915-01 .

Note.

The new species G. longispora is similar to five Gibellula species in having multi-synnemum and aspergillate, distinctly roughened conidiophores (Table 3 ), namely G. pigmentosinum , G. flava , G. pulchra , G. clavispora Z.Q. Liang, Wan H. Chen & Y.F. Han and G. shennongjiaensis X. Zou, Wan H. Chen, Y.F. Han & Z.Q. Liang. However, G. longispora differs from G. pigmentosinum , G. flava and G. pulchra by its longer, slender conidia. Furthermore, compared to G. longispora , the species G. shennongjiaensis has shorter conidiophores with smaller phialide and metulae and slightly smaller conidia, while G. clavispora bears clavate conidia.

Figures

Figure 2. Gibellula longispora sp. nov. a, b fungus on a spider c, d conidiophores showing conidial head e part of conidiophore showing rough walls f, g conidial head h conidia. Scale bars: 50 μm (c, d); 20 μm (e), 10 μm (f, g, h).