Japewiella jingningensis (Lecanoraceae), a new species from China Cai, Yu-Tong Xu, Yuan-Ke Li, Ruo-Tong Zhang, Lu-Lu Phytotaxa 2025 2025-05-22 702 1 109 115 Y.T. Cai & Lu L. Zhang Y. T. Cai & Lu L. Zhang 2025 [136,698,500,527] Lecanoromycetes Lecanoraceae Japewiella Fungi Lecanorales 3 112 Ascomycota species jingningensis sp. nov.  Type:— CHINA. Zhejiang Province: Lishui City, Jingning County, Dayang Lake Nature Reserve, Dayang Lake Protection Station, beside the highway. 849 melev., 27°51′16.74″ N, 119°45′23.71″ E, on bark of  Osmanthus fragransLour., 26 December 2023, Lu L. Zhang, L.Wang & Y. T. Cai 20234753 ( Holotypein SDNU) Diagnosis:—This species has a thin, smooth thallus, an epihymenium ranging from red-brown to olive-brown, small ascospores 12–13.5 × 5.5–7 μm, and contains an unknown chemical substance.    Description:— Thalluscrustose, 80 μm thick, more or less continuous, smooth, slightly rimose, grey-white, pale greyish green to pale green; medulla white; sorediaand isidiaabsent; prothallusabsent. Photobionta unicellular green alga with ± globose cells, 5.5–12 µm.  Apothecialecideine, adnate, mostly scattered, rounded or slightly lobed with age, 0.18–0.55 mmdiam.; discflat or slightly convex, orange-brown to black, epruinose, marginwell developed, persistent, concolorous with the disc or pale brown to black, slightly raised or level with the disc, rarely strongly raised, in section 30–67.5 μm thick laterally, composed of radiating, branched and anastomosed hyphae with thick gelatinous walls, red-brown to olive-brown in the outer part, hyaline within, not inspersed with crystals. Epihymenium5–15 μm high, red-brown to olive-brown, K–, N+ orange-red, Pd–. Hymenium30–52.5 μm high, hyaline, I+ blue. Subhymenium10–25 μm high, hyaline.  Paraphyses0.7–1.2 μm wide, septate, anastomosed and branched, with a brown apical cap. Hypothecium17.5–30 μm high, hyaline, not inspersed with granules or oil globules. Asciclavate, 8-spored, approximating the  Lecidella- type. Ascosporessimple, hyaline, ellipsoid to ovoid, 12–13.5 × 5.5–7 μm; wall single-layered, 0.5–0.8 μm thick. Pycnidianot seen.  Chemistry:—Thallus K–, C–, KC–, Pd–, UV–; TLC: an unknown substance (minor) exhibits bluish fluorescence in UV after acid and heat treatment, and the Rf value of the spot belongs to section 6.   Etymology:—The specific epithet refers to its place of discovery, Jingning County.   Ecology and distribution:—Growing on the bark of trees, for example,  Ligustrum lucidumAit.,  Morella rubraLour.,  Osmanthus fragransLour.,  Rhus chinensisMill.,  Salix mesnyiHance., and  Schima superbaGardn. et Champ., between elevations of 849 to 1165 meters in the Dayang Lake and Wangdongyang Nature Reserve, Jingning County, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, China.  Notes:—The new species is characterized by the thin, smooth, grey-white to pale green thallus, orange-brown to black apothecia, red-brown to olive-brown epihymenium, small ascospores, 12–13.5 × 5.5–7 μm, and by the presence of an unknown chemical metabolite. It is morphologically similar to  J. tavaresiana(H. Magn.) Printzen (2000: 4)in having a thin, smooth thallus and red-brown epihymenium. However, the thallus of  J. tavaresianalacks a welldefined cortex or medulla and the ascospores is larger (13–18(–22) × 7–11 μm), with thicker walls (0.7–1.5 μm thick) ( Coppins & James 1979, Cannon et al.2022).  J. pruinosula(Müll. Arg.) Kantvilas (2011: 101)also has a red-brown epihymenium, but its discs are often whitish grey pruinose, and the margin contains numerous crystals that do not dissolve in K ( Kantvilas 2011).  J. variabilisElix & P.M. McCarthy (2018: 27)is similar to  J. jingningensisdue to its medium brown to black apothecia, but the former often has pycnidia, deep blue-green epihymenium, and contains atranorin, chloroatranorin, perlatolic acid, stenosporic acid as its major chemical metabolites ( Elix & McCarthy 2018).   Additional specimens examined:—  CHINA. Zhejiang Province: Lishui City, Jingning County, Wangdongyang Nature Reserve, Fengshuiyang Protection Station, beside the highway.  1119 melev., 27°69′29.89″ N, 119°62′89.40″ E, on bark of  Ligustrum lucidumAit.,  4 June 2023, L. L. Liu, Y. T. Cai, R. T. Li& Z. H. Yang20233246 ( SDNU);  Baiyun Protection Station, beside the highway, at the foot of the mountain.  1104 melev., 27°72′60.50″ N, 119°64′18.26″ E, on bark of  Ligustrum lucidumAit.,  6 June 2023, L. L. Liu, Y. T. Cai, R. T. Li& Z. H. Yang20233731 ( SDNU);  Dayang Lake Nature Reserve, Dayang Lake Protection Station, beside the highway.  849 melev., 27°51′16.74″ N, 119°45′23.71″ E, on bark of  Morella rubraLour.,  26 December 2023, Lu L. Zhang, L. Wang& Y. T. Cai20234736 ( SDNU); on bark of  Schima superbaGardn. et Champ.,  26 December 2023, Lu L. Zhang, L. Wang& Y. T. Cai20234740 ( SDNU);  Caoyutang Protection Station, beside the mountain road.  1158 melev., 27°54′1.33″ N, 119°40′16.35″ E, on bark of  Rhus chinensisMill.,  27 December 2023, Lu L. Zhang, L. Wang& Y. T. Cai20234805 ( SDNU);  Caoyutang Protection Station, beside the pond in front of the office area.  1165 melev., 27°54′8.61″ N, 119°39′50.83″ E, on bark of  Salix mesnyiHance.,  27 December 2023, Lu L. Zhang, L. Wang& Y. T. Cai20235013, 20235014 ( SDNU);  Dayang Lake Protection Station, beside the highway.  849 melev., 27°51′16.74″ N, 119°45′23.71″ E, on bark of  Osmanthus fragransLour.,  26 December 2023, Lu L. Zhang, L. Wang& Y. T. Cai20235062 ( SDNU). 2023-06-04 L, Y, T, R, Z, H, SDNU Liu & Cai & Li & Yang China Jingning County 1119 Wangdongyang Nature Reserve Lishui City 3 112 1 Zhejiang 2023-06-06 L, Y, T, R, Z, H, SDNU Liu & Cai & Li & Yang China 1104 Baiyun Protection Station 3 112 1 2023-12-26 L, Y, T, SDNU Lu & Zhang & Wang & Cai China 849 4 113 27.85465 Dayang Lake Protection Station 1 119.756584 Dayang Lake Nature Reserve 3 112 1 2023-12-26 L, Y, T, SDNU Lu & Zhang & Wang & Cai China 4 113 1 2023-12-27 L, Y, T, SDNU Lu & Zhang & Wang & Cai China 1158 27.90037 Caoyutang Protection Station 1 119.6712 4 113 1 2023-12-27 L, Y, T, SDNU Lu & Zhang & Wang & Cai China 1165 27.902391 Caoyutang Protection Station 1 119.66412 4 113 1 2023-12-26 L, Y, T, SDNU Lu & Zhang & Wang & Cai China 849 27.85465 Dayang Lake Protection Station 1 119.756584 4 113 1