Morphological and phylogenetic analyses reveal two new species in Conidiobolus s. s. (Conidiobolaceae, Entomophthorales) from China Author Nie, Yong https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8964-1661 Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory for Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China & School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Anhui University of Technology, Ma'anshan 243002, China Author Cai, Yue https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4970-9673 Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University, Hefei 230601, China Author Zhao, Heng https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2938-5613 Institute of Microbiology, School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China Author Zhou, ZhengYu https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9312-1626 School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Anhui University of Technology, Ma'anshan 243002, China Author Zhao, ChangWei https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7573-346X School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Anhui University of Technology, Ma'anshan 243002, China Author Liu, XiaoYong https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8808-010X College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China 622001@sdnu.edu.cn Author Huang, Bo https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6032-7396 Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory for Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China bhuang@ahau.edu.cn text MycoKeys 2023 2023-07-05 98 221 232 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.98.103603 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.98.103603 1314-4049-98-221 29B86571E1AB5C18B11C88BBBADD8BE1 Conidiobolus longiconidiophorus B. Huang & Y. Nie sp. nov. Fig. 2 Etymology. Longiconidiophorus (Lat.), referring to the long size of its conidiophores. Known distribution. Anhui Province, China. Typification. China, Anhui Province, Huangshan City, Qimen County, Guniujiang National Nature Reserve, 30°2′84′′N, 117°53′31′′E , from plant debris, 12 Dec. 2019, Y. Nie and W. Wang , holotype BWPU 191212. Ex-type culture RCEF 6563. GenBank: nucLSU = OQ540746; EFL = OQ550509; mtSSU = OQ540744. Additional specimens examined. China , Anhui Province , Chizhou City , Shitai County , Guniujiang National Nature Reserve , 30°10'66"N, 117°50'4"E , from plant debris, 15 Dec. 2019 , Y. Nie and W. Wang , culture RCEF 6568. GenBank : nucLSU = OR100884 ; EFL = OR113355 ; mtSSU = OR100881 . Description. Colonies on PDA at 21 °C after 3 d white, reaching ca 15 mm in diameter. Aerial hyphae flourishing after 6 d. Mycelia white, 5-10 μm wide, often unbranched at the edge of colony. Primary conidiophores often evolving from aerial hyphae, long, 150-340 x 6-9 μm , unbranched and producing a single primary conidium, without widening upward near the tip. Primary conidia forcibly discharged, globose, obovoid to ellipsoidal, 31-49 x 24-42 μm , papilla tapering and pointed, 7-13 μm wide, 3-7 μm long. Secondary conidiophores short or long, arising from primary conidia, bearing a single similar replicative conidium to primary conidia. Microspores not observed on the 2% water agar, but the structure similar to sterigmatas bearing microspores observed. Resting spores absent after 1 month. Notes. Conidiobolus longiconidiophorus forms a distinct phylogenetic clade from other Conidiobolus s.s. species. Morphologically, its primary condia are similar in size to those in C. coronatus (Cost.) Batko (14.5-38.5 x 17-48.5 μm ), C. dabieshanensis Y. Nie & B. Huang (29-38 x 32.5-45), C. macrosporus Srin. & Thirum. (38-45 x 48-54 μm ), C. megalotocus Srin. & Thirum. (30-50 μm ), and C. utriculosus Brefeld (25-35 x 37.5-51 μm ). However, it can be distinguished from C. coronatus and C. macrosporus by its longer primary conidiophores and the absence of resting spores ( Batko 1964 ; Srinivasan and Thirumalachar 1967 ). Additionally, it is differentiated from C. dabieshanensis and C. utriculosus by its obovoid and ellipsoidal primary condia, as well as the absence of resting spores ( Brefeld 1884 ; Nie et al. 2017 ). While it is closely related to C. megalotocus , it can be differentiated by the shape of its primary condia ( Srinivasan and Thirumalachar 1962 ). Furthermore, in the phylogenetic tree (Fig. 1 ), C. longiconidiophorus is found to be distantly related to C. megalotocus . Figure 2. Conidiobolus longiconidiophorus RCEF 6563 a colony on PDA after 3 d at 21 °C b colony on PDA after 6 d at 21 °C c mycelia unbranched at the edge of the colony d-g primary conidiophores bearing primary conidia h, i globose primary conidia j, k obovoid to ellipsoidal primary conidia l, m primary conidia bearing a single secondary conidium n, o structure similar to sterigmatas arsing from conidia. Scale bars: 100 μm ( c ); 20 μm ( d-o ).