Tzeananiaceae, a new pleosporalean family associated with Ophiocordycepsmacroacicularis fruiting bodies in Taiwan Author Ariyawansa, Hiran A. Author Phillips, Alan J. L. Author Chuang, Wei-Yu Author Tsai, Ichen text MycoKeys 2018 37 1 17 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.37.27265 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.37.27265 1314-4049-37-1 Tzeanania taiwanensis Ariyawansa, A.J.L. Phillips & Chuang sp. nov. Fig. 3 Type. TAIWAN. Cueifong, Nantou County ( 24°06'20"N , 121°11'13"E ), developing on a fruiting body of Ophiocordyceps macroacicularis , 9 July 2017, Wei-Yu Chuang, (holotype: permanently preserved in a metabolically inactive state, NTUH 17-005!; culture ex-holotype NTUCC 17-005!). Diagnosis. Phylogeny based on ITS, LSU, rpb2, SSU, tef1 and tub2 revealed that the strains NTUCC 17-005 and NTUCC 17-006 considered in the present study formed a separate lineage sister to the familial clades of Shiraiaceae and Phaeosphaeriaceae in suborder Pleosporineae . Therefore, a new genus Tzeanania , a new species T. taiwanensis and a new family Tzeananiaceae in suborder Pleosporineae , Pleosporales are proposed here for the pycnidial coelomycete growing on the surface of the fruiting body of Ophiocordyceps macroacicularis . Etymology. The epithet refers to Taiwan, where this species was collected Description. Developing on the fruiting body of Ophiocordyceps macroacicularis . Sexual morph not observed. Asexual morph: Conidiomata pycnidial, semi- or entirely immersed in the agar, solitary or aggregated, erumpent, globose, dark brown to black. Conidiomatal wall of textura angularis, 3-5 layered, composed of brown to dark brown, flattened polygonal cells. Conidiophores reduced to conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells phialidic, hyaline, smooth-walled, ampulliform to globose, 3-5 x 0.5-2 μm , x¯ +/- SD = 4 +/- 0.7 x 1.5 +/- 0.3 μm . Conidia hyaline, smooth-walled, thin-walled, cylindrical, guttulate, 4-6 x 1-2 μm , x¯ +/- SD = 5.3 +/- 0.27 x 1.5 +/- 0.08 μm . Chlamydospores not observed in culture. Figure 3. Morphology of Tzeanania taiwanensis (NTUCC 17-005) a Surface and lower view of colonies on PDAb Conidiomata sporulating on PDAc close-up of conidioma d close-up of Conidiomatal wall. e-f Conidiogenous cells g Conidia h Germinating conidia. Scale bars: 50µm (c), 10µm (d), 5µm ( e-h ). Culture characteristics. Colonies concentric circular pattern with radial furrows, entire, whitish, grey to olivaceous, with black conidiomata clustered in circular distribution; reverse concentric circular pattern with radial furrows, beige around centre and olivaceous at edge. Distribution. Taiwan Additional material examined. TAIWAN. Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, National Taiwan University, growing on a pine needles, 10 October 2017, Wei-Yu Chuang, (paratype: NTUH 17-006!, culture ex-paratype NTUCC 17-006!). Notes. Tzeanania taiwanensis differs from the familial type of Phaeosphaeriaceae , Phaeosphaeria oryzae in having erumpent, globose conidiomata, conidiomatal wall 3-5 layered, with cylindrical, aseptate, hyaline conidiogenous cells and cylindrical, hyaline, aseptate, guttulated, thin-walled conidia. Phaeosphaeria oryzae has immersed, uni- to multi-loculate, globose to subglobose conidiomata, conidiomatal walls comprising brown pseudoparenchymatous cells, with flattened ampulliform to doliiform, hyaline to pale brown conidiogenous cells and oblong to cylindrical, pale brown to brown, septate, smooth-walled guttulate conidia ( Hyde et al. 2013 ). Morphologically, Tzeanania taiwanensis differs from the familial type of Shiraiaceae , Shiraia bambusicola in having aseptate conidiogenous cells and cylindrical, hyaline, aseptate, guttulated, thin-walled conidia. Shiraia bambusicola has septate conidiogenous cells producing fusiform, muriform, hyaline to light brown, thick-walled conidia with irregularly arranged transverse and longitudinal septa ( Hyde et al. 2013 ). Furthermore, Tzeanania taiwanensis can be clearly differentiated from Shiraia bambusicola by the host ( Ophiocordyceps macroacicularis versus Bamboo) and the distribution (Taiwan versus Japan and China).