Longiappendispora shangrilaensis L. S. Dissan. & Wanas. 2026, sp. nov.

Longiappendispora shangrilaensis L. S. Dissan. & Wanas. sp. nov. Fig. 6 Etymology. The epithet is derived from Shangri-La, where the holotype was collected. Holotype. HKAS 130459. Description. Saprobic on dead culm of bamboo host. Sexual morph. Ascomata 550–600 μm × 375–400 μm (x ̄ = 577 × 390 μm, n = 5), deeply immersed under a black to dark brown clypeus, slightly raised, blackened, scattered or gregarious, globose to subglobose, erumpent, papillae in vertical section, papillae appear as black dots. Ostioles 100–110 μm × 80–90 μm (x ̄ = 105 × 85 μm, n = 5), papillate, with hyaline to brown periphyses, black peridium. Peridium 40–60 μm wide (x ̄ = 50 μm, n = 5), comprising several layers, outer layer brown, composed of thick-walled cells of textura angularis and inner layer hyaline, arrange with textura angularis. Paraphyses 4–6 μm wide (x ̄ = 5 μm, n = 10), hyaline, unbranched, cellular, aseptate. Asci 150–200 μm × 11–15 μm (x ̄ = 175 × 13 μm, n = 20), 8 - spored, long-cylindrical, short-pedicellate, apically rounded, with a rhomboid, J +, apical ring. Ascospores 20–25 × 6–10 μm (x ̄ = 23 × 8 μm, n = 5), overlapping, uniseriate, ellipsoidal, 2 - celled, guttulate (two prominent guttules on each cell), hyaline to brown, constricted at the septum, sulcate striations along the entire spore length, surrounded by a mucilaginous sheath, without appendages. Asexual morph. Undetermined. Material examined. • China, Yunnan Province, Shangri-La, Deqen, skied field (27.935833°N, 99.608056°E, 2250 m a. s. l.), on dead culm of Poaceae host, 18 August 2021, L. S. Dissanayake, SF 18-5 (HKAS 130459, holotype). ibid. SF 18-6 (HKAS 130460, isotype). Note. Longiappendispora shangrilaensis morphologically resembles the species of Arecophila having ascomata with a clypeus and 1 - septate, guttulate, sulcate, and striated ascospores surrounded by a mucilaginous sheath. The phylogenetic analysis based on combined LSU and ITS sequence data indicates that L. shangrilaensis is closely related to L. chromolaenae (MFLUCC 17-1485) with 69 % MBL statistical support (Fig. 1). Longiappendispora shangrilaensis is morphologically similar to L. chromolaenae (Mapook et al. 2020). But they differ in ascospores guttules and thin mucilaginous sheath (both characters absent in L. chromolaenae), and ascospore appendages (present in L. chromolaenae vs. absent in L. shangrilaensis). Also, the shape of ascospores of L. chromolaenae is different: ellipsoid to broadly fusiform, tapering towards narrow ends. Therefore, herein we introduce L. shangrilaensis as a novel taxon based on morpho-molecular evidence.