Morphological characters and molecular data reveal three new species of Fomitopsis (Basidiomycota)

Abstract

Fomitopsis is an important, cosmopolitan brown-rot genus. Recent phylogenetic analyses showed that Fomitopsis was polyphyletic. During the taxonomic studies of Fomitopsis, three new species were discovered. Phylogenetic analyses carried out based on sequences from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, the large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nLSU), the small subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nSSU), the small subunit of mitochondrial rRNA gene (mtSSU), the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2), and the translation elongation factor 1-α gene (TEF), confirmed the affinities of three new species within Fomitopsis sensu stricto. Fomitopsis caribensis sp. nov. was discovered from Puerto Rico and is characterized by pileate, fragile basidiomata, becoming hard corky upon drying, a white to cream pore surface when fresh, pinkish buff when dry, round to angular and small pores (6–9 per mm), and cylindrical to oblong-ellipsoid basidiospores (6–7.5 × 2.3–3.1 μm). Fomitopsis eucalypticola sp. nov. was collected from Australia. It is characterized by effused-reflexed to pileate basidiomata, cream to salmon pileal surface, cream to yellow pore surface when fresh, becoming buff to clay-buff when dry, occasionally simple-septate skeletal hyphae, long cystidioles (15–36 × 2–5.3 μm), cylindrical to oblong-ellipsoid basidiospores (5.8–9.1 × 2.7–5 μm), and growth on Eucalyptus. Fomitopsis ginkgonis sp. nov. was found from China. It is characterized by its pileate, imbricate, hard corky basidiomata, pinkish buff to cinnamon-buff pore surface, cylindrical basidiospores (7.2–9 × 2.2–3 μm), and growth on living Ginkgo biloba.