Ewald Langer

The phylogenetic distribution of resupinate forms across the major clades of mushroom-forming fungi (Homobasidiomycetes)

Abstract Phylogenetic relationships of resupinate Homobasidiomycetes (Corticiaceae s. lat. and others) were studied using ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences from a broad sample of resupinate and nonresupinate taxa. Two datasets were analysed using parsimony, a ‘core’ dataset of 142 species, each of which is represented by four rDNA regions (mitochondrial and nuclear large and small subunits), and a ‘full’ dataset of 656 species, most of which were represented only by nuclear large subunit rDNA sequences. Both datasets were analysed using traditional heuristic methods with bootstrapping, and the full dataset was also analysed with the Parsimony Ratchet, using equal character weights and six‐parameter weighted parsimony. Analyses of both datasets supported monophyly of the eight major clades of Homobasidiomycetes recognised by Hibbett and Thorn, as well as independent lineages corresponding to the Gloeophyllum clade, corticioid clade and Jaapia argillacea. Analyses of the full dataset resolved two additional groups, the athelioid clade and trechisporoid clade (the latter may be nested in the polyporoid clade). Thus, there are at least 12 independent clades of Homobasidiomycetes. Higher‐level relationships among the major clades are not resolved with confidence. Nevertheless, the euagarics clade, bolete clade, athelioid clade and Jaapia argillacea are consistently resolved as a monophyletic group, whereas the cantharelloid clade, gomphoid‐phalloid clade and hymenochaetoid clade are placed at the base of the Homobasidiomycetes, which is consistent with the preponderance of imperforate parenthesomes in those groups. Resupinate forms occur in each of the major clades of Homobasidiomycetes, some of which are composed mostly or exclusively of resupinate forms (athelioid clade, corticioid clade, trechisporoid clade, Jaapia). The largest concentrations of resupinate forms occur in the polyporoid clade, russuloid clade and hymenochaetoid clade. The cantharelloid clade also includes many resupinate forms, including some that have traditionally been regarded as heterobasidiomycetes (Sebacinaceae, Tulasnellales, Ceratobasidiales). The euagarics clade, which is by far the largest clade in the Homobasidiomycetes, has the smallest fraction of resupinate species. Results of the present study are compared with recent phylogenetic analyses, and a table summarising the phylogenetic distribution of resupinate taxa is presented, as well as notes on the ecology of resupinate forms and related Homobasidiomycetes.

Hymenochaetales: a molecular phylogeny for the hymenochaetoid clade.

The hymenochaetoid clade is dominated by wood-decaying species previously classified in the artificial families Corticiaceae, Polyporaceae and Stereaceae. The majority of these species cause a white rot. The polypore Bridgeoporus and several corticioid species with inconspicuous basidiomata live in association with brown-rotted wood, but their nutritional strategy is not known. Mycorrhizal habit is reported for Coltricia perennis but needs confirmation. A surprising element in the hymenochaetoid clade is a group of small white to brightly pigmented agarics earlier classified in Omphalina. They form a subclade together with some similarly colored stipitate stereoid and corticioid species. Several are associated with living mosses or one-celled green algae. Hyphoderma pratermissum and some related corticioid species have specialized organs for trapping and killing nematodes as a source of nitrogen. There are no unequivocal morphological synapomorphies known for the hymenochaetoid clade. However almost all species examined ultrastructurally have dolipore septa with continuous parenthesomes while perforate parenthesomes is the normal condition for other homobasidiomycete clades. The agaricoid Hymenochaetales have not been examined. Within Hymenochaetales the Hymenochaetaceae forms a distinct clade but unfortunately all morphological characters supporting Hymenochaetaceae also are found in species outside the clade. Other subclades recovered by the molecular phylogenetic analyses are less uniform, and the overall resolution within the nuclear LSU tree presented here is still unsatisfactory.

Geastrum pleosporus sp. nov., a new species of Geastraceae identified by morphological and molecular phylogenetic data

An unusual species of Geastrum was found growing on decayed wood debris and leaves of Triplochiton scleroxylon in the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve, Cameroon. The species morphologically resembles G. saccatum and G. fimbriatum in having sessile endosperidium partly enclosed by the saccate base of the exoperidium. Microscopically, it is characterized by and distinguished from all other known species of the genus, in having subsmooth, punctate to moderately verruculose, slightly thick-to distinctly thick-walled polymorphous, constricted to eight-shaped, mostly oblong, ovoid, cylindrical, elliptic to clubshaped basidiospores. G. pleosporus was studied from a collection of about fifteen basidiomata covering different stages of development. It is described as new based on morphological analyses and phylogenetic inferences made from large ribosomal DNA sequence alignments. Phylogenetic relationship of G. pleosporus is investigated. In parsimony analyses of partial sequences of the large subunit rDNA from selected Gasteromycetes species, G. pleosporus is closely related to G. saccatum within the strongly supported clade of Geastrum species. The cluster of G. pleosporus and G. saccatum is well supported in parsimony analysis of the dataset with Geastrum species and related taxa using parsimony and maximum likelihood analysis.

Ganoderma carocalcareus sp. nov., with crumbly-friable context parasite to saprobe on Anthocleista nobilis and its phylogenetic relationship in G. resinaceum group

A new species Ganoderma carocalcareus (Basidiomycota, Ganodermataceae) was collected on living trunk and dead stumps of Anthocleista nobilis (Gentianaceae) in waterlogged swamps in the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve, Cameroon, and identified on the basis of morphology and phylogenetic analyses inferred from mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU) and internal transcribed spacer (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) rDNA sequences. Distinct phenotypic characteristics of the new species are dimorphism of basidiomata and variability in context structure and texture over developmental stages. The young basidiomata is ungulate to punk-shaped with context composed of vegetative hyphae attended by scattered, orbicular, smooth, thick-walled chlamydospores, and the mature basidiomata is cushion- to bracket-like with context entirely consisting of chlamydospores masses. This ontogeny intimates the origin of chlamydospores, for which the biogenesis correlates the vanishing of vegetative hyphae throughout the basidiomata maturation. Morphological comparison included Tomophagus colossus (=G. colossus), G. subamboinense and G. weberianum, the known Ganodermataceae species producing chlamydospores and or gasterospores in basidiomata tissues, and G. resinaceum, the closest species with regard to morphology. It followed that G. carocalcareus could not be assigned to these or any other known Ganoderma species. Analyses of mtSSU and ITS rDNA sequence data resolved G. carocalcareus in the G. resinaceum group as a distinct species, but being a close relative of both G. subamboinense and G. weberianum.

Phylogenetic relationship of Marasmius mbalmayoensis sp. nov. to the tropical African Marasmius bekolacongoli complex based on nuc-LSU rDNA sequences

Marasmius mbalmayoensis (Basidiomycotina, Marasmiaceae) growing on decayed leaves of Canarium schweinfurthii in the Mbalmayo Forest Reserve, Cameroon, is described. The species is remarkable due to the large basidiomata with shallow orange yellow umbilicus, long central stipe accompanied by similar long rhizomorphs on thickened basal mycelium and large lacrymiform to sigmoid basidiospores. The coarsely plicate pilei with lilac, violet to dark violaceous tints, and large distant adnate lamellae are reminiscent macroscopically of the tropical African species M. bekolacongoli. The phylogenetic relationship among M. mbalmayoensis and M. bekolacongoli was assessed, extended to other species of sects. Globulares and Sicci based on DNA sequences. Phylogenetic analysis based on nuc-LSU rDNA sequence data of selected Marasmiaceae taxa confirmed the placement of M. mbalmayoensis within the Marasmius spp. and its phylogenetic separation from M. bekolacongoli. Amyloflagellula inflata, which a BLAST analysis closely related to M. mbalmayoensis, clustered in the same clade with M. mbalmayoensis and M. bekolacongoli. The findings also indicated the complexity of M. bekolacongoli.

Hyphodontia borbonica, a new species from La Réunion

One new species of Hyphodontia s.s. (Basidiomycota) is described. Hyphodontia borbonica was found on the tropical island La Réunion of the Mascarene archipelago in the Indian Ocean. It is characterized by a poroid hymenophore, a pseudodimitic hyphal system and lagenocystidia, which is a new combination in this genus. The phylogenetic analyses with ITS sequences show a relationship to Hyphodontia arguta, H. pallidula and H. alutaria. A description, line drawings, phylograms, an emendation of the genus and a new key are provided.

New records of Hyphodontia species from Taiwan

Abstract: Hyphodontia cineracea was known to be distributed in temperate regions of the northern and southern hemisphere. The new record is the first time found in subtropical Taiwan at an altitude of 2100–2200 m. There is evidence that this species is adapted to seasonal environment with low temperatures. Hyphodontia palme, hitherto collected only in Brazil was found in Taiwan and is the first report outside South America. Distribution and species delimitation for closely related species are compared and discussed.

Hyphodontia s.l. (Hymenochaetales, Basidiomycota): 35 new combinations and new keys to all 120 current species

Phylogenetic trees indicate that Hyphodontia s.l. consists of various genera. In addition to the studies of Hjortstam and Ryvarden (Syn Fung 15:7–17, 2002; Syn Fung 26:33–55, 2009), 35 new combinations are proposed, based on morphological and/or phylogenetic information. A list of species, a phylogenetic tree with eight new sequences from holotypes and three other previously unsequenced species, emendations of the genera and new keys to all accepted species are provided.

Phylloporia yuchengii sp. nov. (Hymenochaetales, Basidiomycota) from Western Tien Shan Mountains of Uzbekistan Based on Phylogeny and Morphology

Abstract Phylloporia yuchengii is newly described and illustrated from alpine ecosystem, Western Tien Shan Mountains in the Tashkent Province of Uzbekistan. This species is distinguished from other Phylloporia species in a combination of hard corky consistency of basidiocarps with thick base (up to 3.5 cm) and azonate pileal surface, pores as 6–8 per mm, a monomitic hyphal system with regularly arranged, interwoven and subparallel generative hyphae, respectively, in context, tomentum and trama, and ellipsoid to oblong-ellipsoid and cyanophilous basidiospores (3.2-4 × 2.3-3 µm). In nLSU-based phylogeny, P. yuchengii nested within the Phylloporia clade and formed a distinct lineage with strong supports. The morphological differences between P. yuchengii and other related Phylloporia species in morphology and geography are discussed.

Molecular and morphological evidence reveal a new non-cystidiate species belonging to the core Phanerochaete (Polyporales)

A new corticioid species is recognized in the genus Phanerochaete based on the material collected from the Changbaishan Nature Reserve in NE China. Phanerochaete aurantiobadia sp. nov. is characterized by an orange to reddish brown, resupinate basidiome turning coccine red upon contact with potassium hydroxide (KOH), lack of rhizomorphs and cystidia, and small ellipsoid spores. Phylogenetic analyses of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) sequences show that Ph. aurantiobadia is nested within the core Phanerochaete clade, where the type of the genus Ph. velutina is also nested. The new species is illustrated and compared with similar taxa, and some notes are given on Phanerochaete s.s.