Dyutiparna Chakraborty

New species of xerocomoid boletes (Boletaceae) from Himalayan India based on morphological and molecular evidence.

Xerocomus doodhcha and Hortiboletus indorubellus (Boletaceae) from broadleaf montane forest in Sikkim, India, are proposed as new. They are described in detail with supporting morphological illustrations and compared with related taxa using molecular phylogenetic analysis of ITS and 28S rDNA sequences. Xerocomus doodhcha is characterized by a pale brown pileus, basidiospores with a finely bacillate surface under SEM, and phylogenetic proximity to the type species of Xerocomus, X. subtomentosus. Hortiboletus indorubellus is characterized by a dark brown to reddish brown pileus, context that turns brownish to brownish orange on bruising, and phylogenetic proximity to Hortiboletus rubellus.

Cantharellus sect. Amethystini in Asia

In this contribution on the genus Cantharellus in Asia, C. subvaginatus is described from the Republic of Korea as a close relative to the Chinese C. vaginatus, which is here reported for the first time from India. Both species are here placed in Cantharellus subg. Cantharellus sect. Amethystini, together with the Indian C. pseudoformosus (syn.: C. umbonatus) and the Malayan C. subamethysteus. As such, Asia has suddenly become the continent with the highest diversity for Amethystini. Species delimitation in sect. Amethystini is molecularly supported by a combined phylogenetic analysis of rDNA sequences obtained for LSU and ITS and additionally suggests the existence of a still undescribed species in North America. Character variability is discussed for all known members of Amethystini, including atypical specimens of the North American C. lewisii that are morphologically more reminiscent of the South Korean C. subvaginatus.

Two new species and one new record of the genus Tylopilus (Boletaceae) from Indian Himalaya with morphological details and phylogenetic estimations

Abstract Tylopilus himalayanus and T. pseudoballoui are described as new species from two Himalayan states (Sikkim and Uttarakhand) in India. Tylopilus himalayanus is characterised by a unique combination of features: reddish- or brownish-grey to purplish-grey then brown to reddish-brown or darker pileus, absence of olive or violet tinges on stipe surface, angular pores, stipe without reticulum or rarely with a faint reticulum restricted to the very apex, bitter taste of the context and positive macrochemical colour reaction of the stipe context with KOH (dark orange) and FeSO4 (dark green), medium sized (10.9–14.4 × 3.9–4.9 µm) basidiospores and occurrence under coniferous trees; T. pseudoballoui is distinguished by orange-yellow to brown-yellow sticky pileus, pale yellow pore surface with pinkish hues that turns pale to greyish-orange on bruising; angular pores, stipe concolorous to pileus with pruinose but never reticulate surface, ixocutis pattern of pileipellis and occurrence under broadleaf trees. Another species, T. neofelleus, which was reported earlier from China and Japan, was also collected from Sikkim and reported for the first time from India. All three species are described with morphological details and two-locus based (nrLSU and nrITS) phylogenetic data.

Morphological and Phylogenetic Evidence for Two New Lactarius Species (Russulales, Basidiomycota) from India

Abstract Lactarius ferruginascens sp. nov. and L. indoaquosus sp. nov. are described from the East and South districts of Sikkim, a small Himalayan state in India. Macro- and micromorphological descriptions coupled with the illustrations and nrITS-based molecular analyses are given for both species. Lactarius ferruginascens is a species in L. subg. Plinthogalus with striking features such as a sticky pileus surface caused by the ixohymeniderm structure of the pileipellis, watery white latex which is turning rusty brown on the lamellae and the occurrence under Abies sp. in the subalpine mixed forest. Lactarius indoaquosus is a new representative of L. subg. Russularia with completely transparent and unchanging latex and is furthermore characterized by basidiospores with a zebroid ornamentation, the absence of hymenial macrocystidia and the occurrence under Castanopsis sp. in the temperate broadleaf forest. Both species are illustrated and compared with related taxa.