Morphological and Molecular Confirmation of Erioscyphella hainanensis (Lachnaceae ), new to Korean fungal flora

Erioscyphella is a ciliate, cupulate ascomycete on dead hardwood and bamboo leaves, and on rotten wood. It differs from Lachnum s.str. by longer ascospores and hair traits—thin-walled, densely granulate hairs with hyaline apical amorphous caps and/or resinous deposits anywhere on the hair. During a nationwide survey of litter-inhabiting ascomycetes in 2024–2025, a collection referable to Erioscyphella hainanensis was obtained from leaf litter in a temperate forest. Morphological examination revealed minute cupulate apothecia with a densely white-hairy exterior, a pale hymenial disc, ellipsoid hyaline ascospores, and thin-walled, totally granulate hairs with minute hyaline apical amorphous materials and without crystals or resinous materials—all consistent with the recombination notes for E. hainanensis. Phylogenetic analysis of ITS sequences placed the collection within the E. hainanensis clade; the resulting tree matched the reference clade, confirming its placement. To date, within this genus, only E. abnormis has been reported from Korea. The present work documents the first national record of E. hainanensis, thereby expanding the known species diversity of Erioscyphella in Korea and highlighting the overlooked diversity of microascomycetes on leaf litter in protected forest ecosystems.