Molecular phylogeny and morphology reveal a new wood-rotting fungal species, <i>Cyathus wenshanensis</i> sp. nov. from the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau

Abstract

A new species of bird's nest fungus, <italic>Cyathus wenshanensis</italic> is proposed based on a combination of the morphological and molecular evidence. It is characterised by the obconical to cupulate basidiomata covered with hirsute hairs, striations on the outer and inner surface of the peridium, funicular peridioles, a trimitic hyphal system of peridium with generative hyphae having clamp connections, a dimitic hyphal system of peridiole middle, and subglobose, elliptical to ellipsoid-elongate, thick-walled basidiospores. Sequence of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) gene region was generated, and the phylogenetic analysis was performed with maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference methods. The phylogenetic analyses inferred from ITS dataset indicated that <italic>C. wenshanensis</italic> nested within the genus <italic>Cyathus</italic>, in which it formed a monophyletic lineage and grouped with <italic>C. albinus</italic>, <italic>C. amazonicus</italic>, <italic>C. badius</italic>, <italic>C. parvocinereus</italic>,<italic> C. pyristriatus</italic> and <italic>C. uniperidiolus</italic>.