Culturable fungi from urban soils in China II, with the description of 18 novel species in Ascomycota (Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Leotiomycetes and Sordariomycetes) Author Zhang, Zhi-Yuan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2031-7518 Institute of Fungus Resources, College of Life Sciences, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China & College of Eco-Environmental Engineering, Guizhou Minzu University, Guiyang 550025, China Author Li, Xin https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7910-1469 Institute of Fungus Resources, College of Life Sciences, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China Author Chen, Wan-Hao https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7240-6841 Basic Medical School, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550025, China Author Liang, Jian-Dong https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3939-3900 Basic Medical School, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550025, China Author Han, Yan-Feng https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8646-3975 Institute of Fungus Resources, College of Life Sciences, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China swallow1128@126.com text MycoKeys 2023 2023-06-29 98 167 220 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.98.102816 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.98.102816 1314-4049-98-167 A8196420B4CC5D87B89C0AB494A018C9 Echinocatena sinensis Zhi.Y. Zhang, Y.F. Han & Z.Q. Liang sp. nov. Fig. 2 Etymology. The epithet refers to the locality where the type specimen was found, China. Figure 2. Echinocatena sinensis (from ex-holotype CGMCC 3.20775) a-c upper and reverse views of cultures on PDA, MEA and OA 14 d after inoculation d-g phialides and conidia. Scale bars: 10 µm ( d-g ). Type . China : Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region , Baise City , Peninsula Park 23°89'96"N, 106°63'29"E, from soil, 30 Aug 2019 , Z.Y. Zhang (HMAS 351873 holotype designated here, ex-type living culture CGMCC 3.20775 = GZUIFR 21.900) ; ibid., GZUIFR 21.901 . Description. Culture characteristics (14 days at 25 °C): Colony on PDA 16-18 mm diam. after 14 d at 25 °C, dark olive green (2F2), flat, texture velvety, nearly round, margin entire; reverse dark slate grey (3F2). Colony on MEA 8-9 mm diam., dark slate grey (3F1), convex, texture velvety, irregularity, margin entire; reverse dark slate grey (3F2). Colony on OA 10-12 mm diam., dark slate grey, flat (3F2), texture velvety, nearly round, margin entire, soluble pigments brown to pale red exudates absent; reverse dark pink (12F1). Hyphae branched, septate, hyaline, smooth, 1.0-3.5 μm diam. Conidiophores erect or with an acute angle to the axis near the apex, solitary, unbranched, 9.5-49.0 x 1.0-5.0 µm , hyaline, smooth, 1-8-septate, straight to flexuous. Conidiogenous cells in simple or branched acropetal chains, 4.0-8.5 x 3.0-5.0 µm , separated by thick, dark brown, refractive septa, appearing like a separating cell, pale brown, doliiform to cylindrical, constricted at the septa, polyblastic, integrated with 3-5 conidiogenous loci. Conidia solitary, pyriform, sometimes spherical, aseptate, smooth, brown, 3.5-7.0 x 3.5-7.0 µm (av. 4.9 x 5.3 μm , n = 50). Sexual morph not observed. Additional specimens examined. China : Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region , Baise City , Youjiang Campus of Baise University 23°89'10"N, 106°60'86"E, from soil, 30 Aug 2019 , Z.Y. Zhang , GZUIFR 21.902, ibid., GZUIFR 21.903 . Notes. Currently, one species is accepted in Echinocatena ( Campbell and Sutton 1977 ; Shen et al. 2020 ). The phylogenetic analyses, based on the combined ITS, LSU, EF1A , TUB and RPB2 dataset, indicate Echinocatena sinensis and E. arthrinioides group in a distinct clade (Fig. 1 ). The morphology of E. sinensis is very similar to Echinocatena in having straight to flexuous conidiophores, polyblastic conidiogenous cells, spherical, aseptate conidia ( Campbell and Sutton 1977 ). Echinocatena sinensis can be distinguished from E. arthrinioides by its conidia that are smooth and pyriform in shape ( Campbell and Sutton 1977 ), as well as by the low sequence similarity between the two species (ITS: 312/403, 77.4% similarity, 25 gaps; LSU: 787/827, 95.2% similarity, 4 gaps).