<I>Athelopsis</I> <I>parvispora</I> (<I>Basidiomycetes</I>), a new species from India

Abstract

A new corticioid species, Athelopsis parvispora, is described from Manali hills in Himachal Pradesh. While conducting the fungal forays in the oak forest in Gulaba area of Manali hills district Kullu of Himachal Pradesh, India, Avneet and Dhingra collected a corticioid specimen on a stump of Quercus incana. After detailed macroscopic and microscopic comparisons with descriptions of known species of genus Athelopsis (Julich 1971, Eriksson & Ryvarden 1973, Hjortstam 1991, Kotiranta & Saarenoksa 2005), it was found to be close to Athelopsis subinconspicua (Litsch.) Julich . Characters in common were thin, pellicular basidiocarps with smooth hymenial surface and clavate, basally stalked basidia, but the basidiospores in the newly described species differed in being narrowly ellipsoid and smaller (4.3-4.7 × 1.5-1.9 µm) compared to the more broadly ellipsoid and larger (6.5-8 × 4-4.5 µm) spores in A. subinconspicua. This suggests that this new finding represents a species of its own. Athelopsis parvispora Avneet P. Singh, Dhingra & J. Kaur, sp. nov . Figs 1-4 MycoBank MB517012 Basidiocarpum resupinatum, adnatum, effusum, ad 160 µm crassum, pelliculosum; hymenium laevigatum flavescens; systema hyphale monomiticum; hyphae ad 3.1 µm latae, nodoso-septatae; hyphae basales crassitunicatae, incrustatae; subhymenial hyphae tenuitunicatae, non incrustae; basidia 10.9-16 × 3.0-3.9 µm, clavata, stipitata, 4- sterigmata, ad basin fibuligera; basidiosporae 4.3-4.7 × 1.5-1.9 µm, auguste ellipsoideae, tenuitunicatae.