Etymology:—The specific epithet refers to the type locality.

Fungal Names: FN570411.

Mycelium not visible around ascomata or on natural substrata. Ascomata superficial, solitary to gregarious, non-stromatic, subglobose to globose, lateral collapse upon drying, orange-red to orange-brown, turning brownish red in KOH, becoming slightly yellow in LA, 176−245 × 186−235 μm (n = 10). Perithecial surface slightly warted, warts 15−35 μm high, of textura globose to t. angularis, cells 14−25 × 8−16 μm, walls 1.2−1.5 μm thick. Perithecial wall of two layers, 20−40 μm thick; outer layer of textura globose to t. angularis, 16−32 μm thick, cells 8−18 × 5−8 μm, walls 1−1.2 μm thick; inner layer of textura prismatica, 4−8 μm thick, cells 10−14 × 3−5 μm, walls 0.8−1 μm thick. Asci clavate, 8-spored, with a simple apex, (48−)53−75(−80) × 5−8 μm. Ascospores ellipsoidal to subfusiform, 1-septate, light brown, smooth, uniseriate or biseriate above and uniseriate below, 9–13 × 4.5–5 μm.

Colony on PDA growing fast, 78 mm diam after 1 week at 25 °C, surface velvety, aerial mycelium white, producing light pinkish pigment in medium. Colony on SNA 76 mm diam after 1 week at 25 °C, surface with sparse whitish aerial mycelium. Conidiophores arising from aerial mycelium, simply branched, indefinite in length, 40–150 μm long, 2–3 μm at base. Macroconidia sickle-shaped, hyaline, smooth, slightly curved, 4–6-septate, 4-septate: 33−55 × 2.5–3 μm, 5-septate: 43−55 × 2.8–4 μm, 6-septate: 53−60 × 3.5–5 μm. Microconidia allantoid to rod-shaped, smooth, slightly curved, aseptate, 3−9 × 1–3 μm.

Type: — CHINA. Hunan, Hengyang, Gouloufeng, 27°07’36.15”N, 112°37’47.02”E, alt. 800m, on twigs, 24 Oct 2015, Z.Q. Zeng, X.C. Wang, K. Chen & Y.B. Zhang 10235 (HMAS 254518! holotype); dried ex-type culture, HMAS 248884.

Notes: —Among the known species of Neocosmospora, N. hengyangensis is most similar to N. haematococca in subglobose, orange-red, warted perithecia that collapse laterally upon drying, clavate asci with ellipsoidal to subfusiform ascospores that are equally two celled (Nalim et al. 2011). However, N. haematococca differs in having larger perithecia (310−335 × 285−310 μm vs. 176−245 × 186−235 μm), asci [(70−)72−85(−92) × (10.5−)11.2−13.5 μm vs. (48−)53−75(−80) × 5−8 μm)], and ascospores [(13.7−)15.2−17.7(−19.7) × (6−)6.5−8(−9) μm vs. 9–13 × 4.5–5 μm], and lack of the capacity of producing microconidia in culture (Nalim et al. 2011). Sequence comparisons reveal that there are 44 bp and 52 bp divergences in the ITS and tef1 regions between N. hengyangensis (HMAS 254518) and the isotype of N. haematococca (FRCS 1832).

The BLASTN search indicates that N. hengyangensis shares 98% sequence similarity with N. solani (SZ494414) for the ITS region, and has 13 bp unmatched loci among 718 bp for tef1 (N. solani 305). Our phylogenetic analysis supports the recognition of N. hengyangensis as a well-separated taxon. It formed an independent terminal branch associated with N. falciformis, N. ipomoeae, F. keratoplasticum, N. rubicola and N. solani receiving low support (Fig. 1, MPBP = 51%).