Morphology and Updated Phylogeny Revealed Three New Species in Chlorencoelia (Cenangiaceae, Helotiales) from China
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Morphological Observations
2.2. DNA Extraction, Amplification, and Sequencing
2.3. Sequence Assembly, Alignment and Phylogenetic Analyses
3. Results
3.1. Phylogenetic Analyses
3.2. Taxonomy
3.2.1. Chlorencoelia biguttulata H.D. Zheng & W.Y. Zhuang, sp. nov. (Figure 2a–c and Figure 3)


3.2.2. Chlorencoelia ellipsoidea H.D. Zheng & W.Y. Zhuang, sp. nov. (Figure 2d–f and Figure 4)

3.2.3. Chlorencoelia sinensis H.D. Zheng & W.Y. Zhuang, sp. nov. (Figure 2g–k and Figure 5)

3.2.4. Comparison of Morphological Characteristics Among Chlorencoelia Species
3.2.5. Key to the Known Species of Chlorencoelia
| 1. Ascospores 20–40 × 4.5–6 μm, cylindric-fusoid | C. macrospora |
| 1. Ascospores less than 20 μm long | 2 |
| 2. Ascospores pyriform, 5–8 × 1.5–3 μm | C. ripakorfii |
| 2. Ascospores of other shapes, mostly longer than 8 μm | 3 |
| 3. Tomentum hyphae filamentous | C. versiformis |
| 3. Tomentum hyphae clavate | 4 |
| 4. Ascospores eguttulate, ellipsoidal, 0–1 septate, 7.5–9.7 × 2.2–3.7 μm | C. indica |
| 4. Ascospores guttulate | 5 |
| 5. Ascospores fusoidal, 9–13.7 × 2.2–3.5 μm | C. sinensis |
| 5. Ascospores ellipsoidal | 6 |
| 6. Ascospores broad-ellipsoidal, length/width less than 2.2, 7.2–9.1 × 3.5–4.2 μm, medullary excipulum brown | C. ellipsoidea |
| 6. Ascospores ellipsoidal, length/width more than 2.2 | 7 |
| 7. Ascospores ellipsoidal, 8.5–12 × 2.5–3.5 μm | C. olivacea |
| 7. Ascospores oblong-ellipsoidal | 8 |
| 8. Tomentum hyphae barely differentiated, ascospores 9.5–13 × 3–4.5 μm | C. northlandica |
| 8. Tomentum hyphae well-differentiated | 9 |
| 9. Tomentum hyphae slightly thick-walled, ascospores relatively large, (9.5–)11–16.5 × (2.5–)3.5–5 μm | C. australis |
| 9. Tomentum hyphae distinctly thick-walled, ascospores relatively small | 10 |
| 10. Hymenium surface olive yellow to olive green when fresh, ascospores (5.6–)9–11(–12) × 2–4 μm | C. torta |
| 10. Hymenium surface greyish green to blackish green when fresh, ascospores 8.5–14.5 × 3.5–4.5 μm | C. biguttulata |
| Species | Colour of Hymenium/Receptacle | Apothecium Size | Stipe | Tomentum Hyphae | Ascus Size | Ascospore | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shape | Size | Guttulation | ||||||
| C. australis [5] | Steel blue or green | 5–10 mm | Short and broad stipitate | Clavate | 90–135 × 9–12 μm | Oblong-elliptic | (9.5–)11–16.5 × (2.5–)3.5–5 μm | 2–3 large guttules |
| C. biguttulata | Greyish green to blackish green | 3–13 mm | Stipitate, central to somewhat eccentrical | Clavate | 102–132 × 5.5–7.5 μm | Oblong ellipsoidal, somewhat inequilateral | 8.5–14.5 × 3.5–4.5 μm | 2 large guttules |
| C. ellipsoidea | Atrovirens, dark green to blue green | 7–12 mm | Stipitate | Clavate | 115–126 × 5.5–6 μm | Ellipsoidal | 7.2–9.1 × 3.5–4.2 μm | 1–2 large guttules |
| C. indica [2,30] | Dark greyish brown | 3–15 mm | Lateral and short stipitate | Club-shaped | 92–123 × 4.5–6.3 μm | Ellipsoid | 7.5–9.7 × 2.2–3.7 μm | 2 large guttules |
| C. macrospora [4] | Greenish grey to greenish black | 5–8 mm | Stipitate | Filamentous, straight or coiled | 160–230 × 9–13 μm | Cylindric-fusoid | 20–40 × 4.5–6 μm | Many guttules |
| C. northlandica [5] | Dark green to grey-blue | 5–10 mm | Short and broad stipitate | Globose to subclavate | 90–127 × 5.5–7 μm | Oblong-elliptic | 9.5–13 × 3–4.5 μm | 2 large guttules |
| C. olivacea [5] | Olive green to dark blue-green | Up to 10.5 mm | Short and broad stipitate | Globose to subclavate | 75–104 × 5–9 μm | Elliptic | 8.5–12 × 2.5–3.5 μm | 2–3 large guttules |
| C. ripakorfii [3] | Whitish yellow | 2–5 mm | Stipitate | Cylindrical to slightly subclavate | (42–)45–64 × 3–4 μm | Ellipsoid, sigmoid or pyriform | 5–8 × 1.5–3 μm | 1–2 small guttules |
| C. sinensis | Yellowish green | 2–7 mm | short-stipitate to sub-stipitate | Filamentous at margin, clavate at flank | 75–100 × 5.2–6 μm | Fusoidal | 9–13.7 × 2.2–3.5 μm | 2 large guttules |
| C. torta [1,5] | Olive yellow to olive green | 3–7 mm | stipitate | Subglobose to clavate | (69–)90–121(–126) × 5–7 μm | Irregularly ellipsoid | (5.6–)9–11(–12) × 2–4 μm | 2 large guttules |
| C. versiformis [1] | Olive yellow to olive green | 7–9 mm | stipitate | Filamentous to slightly clavate | (79–)95–130 (–150) × 5–8 μm | Cylindric-oblong | (10–)11–15 × 2.5–3.5 μm | Up to 4 guttules |
4. Discussion
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| Species | Origin | Voucher/Strain | Substrate | Accession Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorencoelia australis | New Zealand | ICMP 21732 ex type | Decorticated wood of Leptospermum scoparium | MH682234 |
| C. australis | New Zealand | ICMP 25691 | Rotting wood | PQ541258 |
| C. australis | New Zealand | ICMP 25618 | Dead wood | PQ533031 |
| C. australis | Australia | ICMP 25304 | Decorticated wood | PP701695 |
| C. biguttulata | China, Xizang | HMAS 275646 holotype | Decorticated rotten wood | PX453028 |
| C. biguttulata | China, Xizang | HMAS 275647 paratype | Decorticated rotten wood | PX453030 |
| C. biguttulata | China, Xizang | HMAS 275645 paratype | Decorticated rotten wood | PX453031 |
| C. biguttulata | China, Xizang | HMAS 290935 paratype | Decorticated rotten wood | PX453029 |
| C. biguttulata (C. “torta”) | China, Anhui | HMAS 287036 | Decorticated rotten wood | OQ534202 |
| C. biguttulata (C. “torta”) | South Korea | KUS-F52256 | Wood | JN033400 |
| C. biguttulata (C. “torta”) | South Korea | KA13-1232 | Unknown | KR673699 |
| C. biguttulata (Chlorencoelia sp.) | South Korea | KA12-1413 | Unknown | KR673605 |
| C. ellipsoidea | China, Yunnan | HMAS 290936 holotype | Decorticated rotten wood | PX453032 |
| C. northlandica | New Zealand | ICMP 21462 ex type | Decorticated wood | PQ541254 |
| C. northlandica | New Zealand | ICMP 25719 | Decorticated wood | PQ541259 |
| C. olivacea | New Zealand | ICMP 25720 ex type | Decaying wood of Fuscospora fusca | PQ541260 |
| C. olivacea | New Zealand | PDD 106117 | Wood of Fuscospora fusca | OR565293 |
| C. olivacea | New Zealand | ICMP 25721 | Decorticated wood Fuscospora fusca | PQ541256 |
| C. olivacea | New Zealand | PDD 106302 | Rotting stump of Fuscospora fusca | MK432802 |
| C. olivacea | New Zealand | PDD 106239 | Rotting wood of Fuscospora fusca | MK432798 |
| C. olivacea | New Zealand | PDD 122841 | Rotting wood | PQ533030 |
| C. olivacea | New Zealand | ICMP 24559 | Decorticated wood | PQ541257 |
| C. olivacea | New Zealand | ICMP 24001 | Decorticated wood of Nothofagaceae sp. | PQ541255 |
| C. olivacea | New Zealand | PDD 114302 | Wood of Fuscospora cliffortioides | OR565298 |
| C. sinensis | China, Chongqing | HMAS 290937 holotype | Decorticated rotten wood | PX453033 |
| C. sinensis | China, Yunnan | HMAS 290938 paratype | Decorticated rotten wood | PX453034 |
| C. sinensis (C. “torta”) | China, Anhui | HMAS 285422 | Decorticated rotten wood | OQ534201 |
| C. sinensis (C. “torta”) | China, Taiwan | SG2212_07_M1 | Rotten wood | LC862114 |
| C. sinensis (C. “torta”) | China, Taiwan | SG2311_04 | Rotten wood | LC862140 |
| C. torta | USA | S.D. Russell iNaturalist # 91595985 | Unknown | OM809323 |
| C. torta | USA | S.D. Russell iNaturalist # 91584233 | Unknown | OM809329 |
| C. torta | USA | S.D. Russell iNaturalist # 92192624 | Unknown | OM809252 |
| C. torta | USA | TU:119690 | Rotten wood | LT158481 |
| C. torta | USA | TU:119681 | Rotten wood | LT158480 |
| C. torta | USA | ZW-Geo55-Clark | Unknown | AY789352 |
| C. versiformis | Estonia | TU:104550 | Rotten wood | LT158411 |
| C. versiformis | Estonia | TAAM:179803 | Rotten wood | LT158427 |
| C. versiformis | UK | HFRG_JN241028_1 | Unknown | PV690292 |
| C. versiformis | Canada | TRTC 175704 | Unknown | PP386638 |
| C. versiformis | USA | S.D. Russell iNaturalist # 8552320 | Unknown | OM747569 |
| C. versiformis | USA | S.D. Russell iNaturalist # 8552320 | Unknown | MN906214 |
| C. versiformis | Canada | DAOMC 251598 | Decaying hardwood log | MH457140 |
| C. versiformis | USA | TU:119720 | Rotten wood | LT158479 |
| C. versiformis | Canada | BIOUG24046-D05 | Unknown | KT695372 |
| Chlorencoelia sp.1 (C. “torta”) | Thailand | KMP3-7 | Unknown | OP644990 |
| Chlorencoelia sp.2 (cf. Chlorencoelia sp.) | Chile | MES-2558 | Wet wood | MH930348 |
| Chlorencoelia sp.3 (C. “torta”) | China, Taiwan | KL167_HB8415 | Rotten deciduous wood | LT158424 |
| Hymenoscyphus fraxineus | China, Jilin | HMAS 264174 | Petioles and leaf veins of Frexinus mandschurica | KF188724 |
| H. fructigenus | China, Hubei | HMAS 275508 | Rotten fruit | KY498615 |
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Zheng, H.-D.; Zhuang, W.-Y. Morphology and Updated Phylogeny Revealed Three New Species in Chlorencoelia (Cenangiaceae, Helotiales) from China. J. Fungi 2025, 11, 855. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11120855
Zheng H-D, Zhuang W-Y. Morphology and Updated Phylogeny Revealed Three New Species in Chlorencoelia (Cenangiaceae, Helotiales) from China. Journal of Fungi. 2025; 11(12):855. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11120855
Chicago/Turabian StyleZheng, Huan-Di, and Wen-Ying Zhuang. 2025. "Morphology and Updated Phylogeny Revealed Three New Species in Chlorencoelia (Cenangiaceae, Helotiales) from China" Journal of Fungi 11, no. 12: 855. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11120855
APA StyleZheng, H.-D., & Zhuang, W.-Y. (2025). Morphology and Updated Phylogeny Revealed Three New Species in Chlorencoelia (Cenangiaceae, Helotiales) from China. Journal of Fungi, 11(12), 855. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11120855

