Hydnum pallidum Raddi, the Correct Name for H. albidum Peck in the Sense of European Authors and the Recently Described H. reginae Kibby, Liimat. & Niskanen.

Abstract

The systematics of the genus Hydnum have undergone important advances, and many new species have been described with the aid of molecular data. A revision of old names that refer to Hydnum s. str., considering the knowledge now available, might reveal prioritary names of recently described species. This study focuses on the study of names that refer to white Hydnum in Europe, among which earlier synonyms of Hydnum reginae (=Hydnum albidum s. auct. pl. eur.) are potentially found, a species characterized by producing white basidiomata and smaller spores than any other European species. Our revision revealed the existence of three earlier names based on European material, namely H. pallidum Raddi, H. album Fr. and H. heimii Maas Geest. The earliest of those, Hydnum pallidum, is epitypified using material from Tuscany (Italy), from where it was originally described, and hence, it becomes the correct name for H. albidum s. auct. pl. eur. A full description and photographs of H. pallidum are provided, and further comments on other names that refer to white Hydnum based on European material are made.