Helvella pseudoatra Q. Zhao 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Bao, Shu-Xin
name: Li, Ying
name: Zhou, De-Qun
name: Thongklang, Naritsada
name: Yu, Feng-Ming
name: Zhao, Qi
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Fungi
Ascomycota
Leotiomycetes
Helotiales
Chlorociboriaceae
Helvella
Helvella pseudoatra

description: Helvella pseudoatra Q. Zhao, sp. nov. (Fig. 4)
Index Fungorum number: IF 552243, Facesoffungi number: FOF 03268
Etymology: The specific epithet pseudoatra refers to the morphological similarity of the new species to Helvella atra.
Type: China, Yunnan Province, Gongshan County, on the ground, under a forest dominated by Quercus, alt. 1900 m, 29 July 2011, Q. Zhao 1070 (HKAS 74023, holotype).
Diagnosis: Similar to Helvella atra but differs in their stipe.
Pileus saddle-shaped to slightly irregularly lobed, 1–2.5 cm high, 1–2.5 cm broad, margin merged each other in several places and fused with stipe, hymenium even, brown, dark brown to black when fresh, becoming blackish when dried, receptacle surface pubescent, dark grey to greyish black when fresh, becoming blackish when dried. Stipe 1.3–5 cm long, 0.2–0.5 cm broad, terete, finely pubescent, upward white to brownish, base part white to greyish when fresh, becoming brownish when dried.
Medullary excipulum 120–260 µm broad, of textura intricata, hyaline, composed of 2.5–4 µm broad hyphae, walls thickened, J-. Ectal excipulum 40–85 µm broad, of textura angularis, hyaline, terminal cells 15–30 × 8–13 μm, blue in cotton blue, J +. Stipitipellis 90–240 µm, of textura angularis, hyaline, terminal cells 12–30 × 8–18 μm, blue in cotton blue, J +. Asci arising from croziers, 8-spored, subcylindrical to clavate, with apex rounded, 190–235 × 15–20 µm, J- in Melzer’s reagent, blue in cotton blue. Paraphyses filiform, 3–4 µm broad, slightly exceeding the asci, apex enlarged, 4–5 µm broad, hyaline, blue in cotton blue, J-. Ascospores [80/2/2, in H 2 O] 15–19 (–20) × (10.5–) 11–14 μm [Q = 1.26–1.63, Q = 1.39 ± 0.08)], broadly ellipsoid to ellipsoid, smooth-walled under the light microscope.
Habitat and known distribution: Scattered or gregarious on the ground, associated with Quercus. Currently only known in southwest China.
Other material examined: China, Yunnan Province, Yulong County, on the ground, under a Quercus forest, alt. 2000 m, 20 July 2008, Q. Zhao 8296 (HKAS 54996).
Notes: Morphologically, Helvella pseudoatra resembles H. atra, and H. liquii (Skrede et al. 2017). However, the receptacle surface of H. atra is glabrous, and that of H. pseudoatra is pubescent. Additionally, H. atra is blackish with a dark violet brown tinge stipe (Skrede et al. 2017). In contrast, H. liquii exhibits a dark brown to blackish stipe when fresh, while the base part of H. pseudoatra appears white to greyish.
Phylogenetically, H. pseudoatra forms a sister group with H. liquii in the fallax-pezizoides lineage (Fig. 1). The pairwise homoplasy index (PHI) value of 1.0, indicates no significant genetic recombination between them and confirms that they are different species (Fig. 2).
description: Published as part of Bao, Shu-Xin, Li, Ying, Zhou, De-Qun, Thongklang, Naritsada, Yu, Feng-Ming & Zhao, Qi, 2023, Two new species of the fallax-pezizoides complex in Helvella (Helvellaceae, Pezizales) from Yunnan, China, pp. 279-289 in Phytotaxa 626 (4) on pages 284-285, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.626.4.5, http://zenodo.org/record/10212930