Background and Aims:

Little is known about ascomycete fungi from urban green areas in Mexico. However, some records of species collected in parks and gardens of the city of Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, were found, from where a new species of the genus Euacanthe, considered until now monotypic, was discovered. This work aims to describe a new species of this uncommon genus of Coronophorales based on morphological and molecular studies.

Methods:

Several explorations were carried out to collect fresh material at different sites in the urban green areas of Xalapa between 2013 and 2015 for its revision, besides the material previously deposited in XAL. A macro- and microscopic morphological study of the specimens was performed, together with molecular analyses using sequences of the 28S, rpb2, and tef1( genes and available sequences in GenBank of the Coronophorales.

Key results:

The description of a new species of saprobic ascomycetes is presented: Euacanthe renispora (Scortechiniaceae, Coronophorales). This species has reniform spores and the presence of quellkörper bodies. Drawings and photographs of the most relevant microscopic structures and the phylogenetic position of the new species within the order are presented.

Conclusions:

The description of Euacanthe renispora from urban and peri-urban green areas of Xalapa reveals that very little is known about the fungal diversity from these sites and similar localities that could exist in other cities of the country. This new species is the first Euacanthe recorded from Mexico and the second species for the genus.

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