Akanthomyces baishanensis H. L. Pu & J. Z. Qiu, in Pu, Yang, Keyhani, Yang, Zheng, Qiu, Mao, Shang, Lin, Xiong, Lin, Lai, Huang, Yuan, Liang, Fan, Ma, Qiu & Qiu, J. Fungi 11 (1, no. 28): 16 (2025)

Fig. 3

Description.

Parasitic on moth (Lepidoptera). Sexual morph. See Pu et al. (2025). Asexual morph. Synnemata arising from the moth body, white, erect, simple, subuliform (2 × 2.7 mm) or subglobose (0.2 × 0.5 mm). Hyphae smooth, septate, hyaline, 1.4–2.5 μm (x ̄ = 1.8 µm, n = 30) in diam. Conidiophores developing from superficial hyphae of synnemata, micronematous, branched, smooth-walled, bearing solitary to clusters of phialides. Phialides 6–29.6 × 1.6–3.2 µm (x ̄ = 19 × 2.7 µm, n = 30), monophialidic, trimorphic, arising from anastomosing mycelia, slender filiform in shape (Fig. 3 G), or arising from conidiophores, cylindrical (Fig. 3 E, H, I) or subuliform (Fig. 3 F) at basal portion, tapering into a thin neck. Conidia 3.2–4.7 × 1.8–2.8 µm (x ̄ = 3.9 × 2.2 µm, n = 50), forming on tip of phialides, hyaline, smooth-walled, fusiform, globose or broadly ovoid, gathering in chains.

Material examined.

China • Liaoning Province, Tieling City (42°17'22.3"N, 123°50'22.2"E), on a dead adult moth (Lepidoptera) on the stem of a plant, 25 August 2023, Ting-Chi Wen, HLJ 2023082515 (HKAS 144393) .

Notes.

Phylogenetic analysis based on six gene markers revealed that the specimen HKAS 144393 and Akanthomyces baishanensis (CGMCC 3.25673 and CGMCC 3.25674) form a robustly supported monophyletic clade (100 % SH-aLRT / 100 % UFB / 1.00 PP, Fig. 1). Both HKAS 144393 and A. baishanensis exhibit parasitic relationships with adult moths. Notably, HKAS 144393 represents a naturally occurring asexual morph characterised by trimorphic conidiogenous structures, while the asexual morph of A. baishanensis described by Pu et al. (2025) was obtained from culture and displayed only a single type of conidiogenous structure. Our observations demonstrate greater morphological plasticity in this species than previously recognised.