Arecophila menglaensis L. S. Dissan. & Wanas. 2026, sp. nov.

Arecophila menglaensis L. S. Dissan. & Wanas. sp. nov. Fig. 4 Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from Mengla County, where the holotype was collected Holotype. HKAS 130461. Description. Saprobic on dead culm of Poaceae host. Sexual morph. Ascomata 190–320 μm × 200–390 μm (x ̄ = 257 × 285 μm, n = 5), immersed, solitary, slightly raised, blackened, scattered or gregarious, globose to subglobose, uniloculate, with a central, erumpent, papillae in vertical section. Ostioles 90–110 μm × 140–170 μm (x ̄ = 103 × 156 μm, n = 5), papillate, with hyaline periphyses, black peridium. Peridium 25–40 μm wide (x ̄ = 30 μm, n = 5), comprising several layers, outer layer brown, composed of thick-walled cells of textura angularis and inner layer hyaline, arrange with cells of textura prismatica. Paraphyses 3–5 μm wide (x ̄ = 4 μm, n = 15), hyaline, unbranched, aseptate. Asci 125–190 μm × 15–20 μm (x ̄ = 165 × 17 μm, n = 15), 8 - spored, unitunicate, long-cylindrical, short-pedicellate, apically rounded, with trapezoidal, J +, apical ring. Ascospores 20–30 × 6–9 μm (x ̄ = 24.2 × 7.2 μm, n = 20), overlapping, uniseriate, ellipsoidal, 2 - celled, guttulate, hyaline to golden brown, constricted at the septum, weakly sulcate striations along the entire length of mature spore, surrounded by a thin mucilaginous sheath. Asexual morph. Undetermined. Culture characteristics. Colonies on PDA, reaching 25–30 mm diameter after one week at 25 ° C, white, cottony, flat, low, dense, with uneven margin. Reverse brownish at the center and yellowish-brown edges. Material examined. • China, Yunnan Province, Mengla, Xishuangbanna (21.580788°N, 101.434776°E, 776 m a. s. l.), on dead culm of Poaceae host, 29 January 2023, L. S. Dissanayake, QML 23 _ 22 (HKAS 130461, holotype), ex-type, KUNCC 23-15551. ibid. QML 23 _ 22 A (HKAS 130462, isotype), KUNCC 23-15552. Note. Arecophila menglaensis nested as a basal lineage of a monophyletic sister clade that included Ar. clypeata (KUNCC 23-15549, KUNCC 23-15550, GZUCC 0110, GZUCC 0127), Ar. muroiana (GZUCC 0122), Ar. miscanthi (MFLU 19-2333) and Ar. australis (GZUCC 0124 and GZUCC 0112). However, Arecophila menglaensis can be distinguished from the three related species by its smaller ascomata (257 × 285 μm) and the absence of a clypeus. By comparison, Ar. australis, Ar. clypeata and Ar. muroiana have larger ascomata (495 × 325 μm, 403 × 323 μm, and 350–460 × 320–400 μm respectively), and a clypeus is present in Ar. australis, Ar. clypeata and Ar. miscanthi (Li et al. 2022). The phylogenetic placement of Arecophila menglaensis as a basal lineage within this clade, together with its diagnostic morphology (particularly the smaller ascomata and absence of a clypeus) supports its recognition as a distinct species within Arecophila.