Helvella submacropus Q. Zhao 2023, sp. nov.

Helvella submacropus Q. Zhao, sp. nov. FIGURE 2

Index Fungorum number: IF900642

Etymology:— submacropus is proposed because the morphological traits are similar to Helvella macropus.

Holotype:— CHINA, Yunnan Province, Binchuan County, Zhusheng Temple, alt. 2000 m, 20 Sep. 2012, Qi Zhao 1708 (HKAS 70217).

Sexual morph: Apothecia 0.5–1.5 cm high, 1–3 cm in thickness, shallowly cupulate to cupulate, hymenium greyish to pale grey when fresh, yellowish when dried, receptacle surface villose to densely pubescent, greyish when fresh, becoming yellowish when dried. Stipe 4–7 cm long, 0.2–0.6 cm diam., terete, slightly sulcate near the base, internally solid, villose to densely pubescent, light brown or grey brown at upper and middle parts, and pale yellow to yellow brown at base. Medullary excipulum 220–320 μm in thickness, composed of 3–6 μm diam., hyaline, thickwalled cells of textura intricata, J-. Ectal excipulum 70–150 μm in thickness, comprised of hyaline cells of textura angularis, terminal cells 17–35 × 8–13 μm, blue in cotton blue, J-. Stipal ecto-excipulum 140–240 μm, comprised of hyaline cells of textura angularis, terminal cells 22–46 × 9–17 μm, blue in cotton blue, J-. Asci arising from croziers, 8-spored, subcylindrical to clavate, with apex rounded, 230–270 × 15–20 μm, J- in Melzer’s reagent, blue in cotton blue. Paraphyses 4–5 μm diam., filiform, slightly exceeding the asci, apex enlarged, 8–11 μm diam., brown, blue in cotton blue, J-. Ascospores [80/4/4, in H 2 O] 17–22 (–23) × 10–12 (–13) μm [Q = 1.5–2.09, Q m = 1.73 ± 0.12)], subfusiform, smooth-walled, uniguttulate, with large central globose to broadly ellipsoidal oil droplet. Asexual morph: Undetermined.

Habitat:— Scattered or gregarious on the ground, under Quercus sp. and Pinus sp. forest.

Material examined:— CHINA, Yunnan Province, Yulong County, under Quercus sp. and Pinus sp. forest, alt. 2900 m, 14 Sep. 2012, Qi Zhao 1672 (HKAS 78930); Gucheng County, under Quercus sp. forest, alt. 2500 m, 14 Sep. 2012, Qi Zhao 1686 (HKAS 78944); Panlong County, under Pinus tabuliformis forest, alt. 2100 m, 2 Oct. 2015, Qi Zhao 2719 (HKAS 90593).

Notes:— In phylogenetic analysis, Helvella submacropus formed a separate clade and was a sister branch with H. guttata. In morphological characteristics, H. submacropus can be confused with H. macropus and H. guttata, with cupulate apothecia with villose to densely pubescent, light brown or grey-brown receptacle surface and stipe (Dissing & Nannfeldt 1966, Lu et al. 2023). However, H. submacropus and H. macropus are different in the color of the base of the stipe (light yellow to yellowish brown vs. gradually becoming whitish), the ornamentation and size of ascospore (smooth vs. delicately warted, 17–23 ×10–13 μm vs. 20–26 × 9–12 μm), and the size of paraphyses (4–5 μm vs. 6–9 μm in thickness) (Dissing & Nannfeldt 1966). Helvella submacropus can be distinguished from its sister species H. guttata. The former has shorter and narrower ascospores than that of the latter. In addition, H. guttata has mottled patches on the surface of the apothecia, while H. submacropus does not (Lu et al. 2023).