Cantharellus hainanensis, a new species with a smooth hymenophore from tropical China

Updated taxonomy of Chinese Cantharellus subgenera Afrocantharellus and Magni (Hydnaceae, Cantharellales): Three new taxa and amended descriptions of one previous species

Cantharellus, one of the main genera of Hydnaceae (Cantharellales), is both ecologically and economically important. Although many studies have focused on this genus in China, the taxonomy should be further updated. In the present study, Cantharellus subgenera Afrocantharellus and Magni were investigated based on morphology and molecular phylogenetic analyses with new collections from China. Five phylogenetic species were recognized among the studied collections, three of which were described as new: C. bellus, C. cineraceus, and C. laevigatus; one was previously described taxon: C. hygrophoroides; and the remaining species was not defined due to the paucity of the materials. Among the four described species, both C. bellus and C. laevigatus are members of subgen. Magni, whereas C. cineraceus and C. hygrophoroides belong to subgen. Afrocantharellus.

Notes on Amanita section Validae in Hainan Island, China

Hainan is the second largest island in China with the most extensive and well-preserved tropical forests and is also the largest island of the Indo Burma Biodiversity Hotspot. It provides in situ conservation for the unique ecosystem of the island. Recent studies have shown that there are diverse fungal species in Hainan. In this study, about 40 collections of the genus Amanita have been studied based on the morphology and molecular systematics, including 35 Chinese specimens (24 from Hainan, and eleven from other regions) and three specimens from other countries (Singapore and Malaysia). In total, five new species belonging to Amanita section Validae are described: A. cacaina, A. parvigrisea, A. pseudofritillaria, A. pseudosculpta, and A. yangii. Amanita parvifritillaria is recorded for the first time in Hainan. It is also the first report of this fungus occurring, outside Yunnan Province, China. Among the five new species, two are unique in this section because of the appendiculate pileus margin and the absence of an annulus. Based on these new findings, the diagnosis of the section Validae should be slightly modified to include a few species with appendiculate margin and the lack of annulus.

A Contribution to Knowledge of Craterellus (Hydnaceae, Cantharellales) in China: Three New Taxa and Amended Descriptions of Two Previous Species

Species of Craterellus (Hydnaceae, Cantharellales) in China are investigated on the basis of morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences from nuc 28S rDNA D1-D2 domains (28S) and nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region. Five species are recognized in China, of which three of them are described as new, viz. C. fulviceps, C. minor, and C. parvopullus, while two of them are previously described taxa, viz. C. aureus, and C. lutescens. A key to the known Chinese taxa of the genus is also provided.

Morphological and Phylogenetic Evidences Reveal Four New Species of Cantharellus Subgenus Cantharellus (Hydnaceae, Cantharellales) From China

Species of Cantharellus subgenus Cantharellus are interesting and important for their mycorrhizal properties, medicinal values, and edibility. In China, there are many undescribed species of the subgenus. In this study, four new species of subg. Cantharellus, viz. Cantharellus albopileatus, Cantharellus chuiweifanii, Cantharellus pinetorus, and Cantharellus ravus from Hainan and Hunan Provinces, respectively, were described based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence as a contribution to the knowledge of the species diversity in China. Detailed descriptions, color photographs of fresh basidiomata, and line drawings of microstructures of these four new species are presented as well as comparisons with related species.

Diversity of Cantharellus (Cantharellales, Basidiomycota) in China with Description of Some New Species and New Records

Cantharellus is a well-known genus of edible mushrooms, belonging to the family Hydnaceae in the class Agaricomycetes. In this study, a phylogenetic overview of Cantharellus subg. Cinnabarinus and C. subg. Parvocantharellus in China is carried out with the description of four new species. Species description are based on morphological characters of basidiomata and phylogenetic analyses of multi-locus dataset of 28S + tef1 + rpb2. Among the new species, two species, C. chrysanthus and C. sinocinnabarinus, belong to C. subg. Cinnabarinus and two new species, C. convexus and C. neopersicinus, belong to C. subg. Parvocantharellus. Species delimitation characters of the new taxa are compared with closely related species. In addition, three new records of Cantharellus are reported for China: C. albovenosus and C. citrinus of subg. Cinnabarinus and C. koreanus of subg. Parvocantharellus. A key to the species of subg. Cinnabarinus in China was provided.

A phylogenetic overview of the Hydnaceae (Cantharellales, Basidiomycota) with new taxa from China

The family Hydnaceae (Cantharellales, Basidiomycota) is a group of fungi found worldwide which exhibit stichic nuclear division. The group is highly diverse in morphology, ecology, and phylogeny, and includes some edible species which are popular all over the world. Traditionally, Hydnaceae together with Cantharellaceae, Clavulinaceae and Sistotremataceae are four families in the Cantharellales. The four families were combined and redefined as "Hydnaceae", however, a comprehensive phylogeny based on multiple-marker dataset for the entire Hydnaceae sensu stricto is still lacking and the delimitation is also unclear. We inferred Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian phylogenies for the family Hydnaceae from the data of five DNA regions: the large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nLSU), the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS), the mitochondrial small subunit rDNA gene (mtSSU), the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2) and the translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene (TEF1). We also produced three more phylogenetic trees for Cantharellus based on 5.8S, nLSU, mtSSU, RPB2 and TEF1, Craterellus and Hydnum both based on the combined nLSU and ITS. This study has reproduced the status of Hydnaceae in the order Cantharellales, and phylogenetically confirmed seventeen genera in Hydnaceae. Twenty nine new taxa or synonyms are described, revealed, proposed, or reported, including eight new subgenera (Cantharellus subgenus Magnus, Craterellus subgenus Cariosi, subg. Craterellus, subg. Imperforati, subg. Lamelles, subg. Longibasidiosi, subg. Ovoidei, and Hydnum subgenus Brevispina); seventeen new species (Ca. laevihymeninus, Ca. magnus, Ca. subminor, Cr. badiogriseus, Cr. croceialbus, Cr. macrosporus, Cr. squamatus, H. brevispinum, H. flabellatum, H. flavidocanum, H. longibasidium, H. pallidocroceum, H. pallidomarginatum, H. sphaericum, H. tangerinum, H. tenuistipitum and H. ventricosum); two synonyms (Ca. anzutake and Ca. tuberculosporus as Ca. yunnanensis), and two newly recorded species (H. albomagnum and H. minum). The distinguishing characters of the new species and subgenera as well as their allied taxa are discussed in the notes which follow them. The delimitation and diversity in morphology, ecology, and phylogeny of Hydnaceae is discussed. Notes of seventeen genera which are phylogenetically accepted in Hydnaceae by this study and a key to the genera in Hydnaceae are provided.

Multigene Phylogeny and Morphology Reveal Unexpectedly High Number of New Species of Cantharellus Subgenus Parvocantharellus (Hydnaceae, Cantharellales) in China

The genus Cantharellus, commonly known as chanterelles, has recently been divided into six subgenera; however, wider sampling approaches are needed to clarify the relationships within and between these groups. A phylogenetic overview of Cantharellus subgenus Parvocantharellus in China was inferred based on the large subunit nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nrLSU), the DNA-directed RNA polymerase II subunit 2 (rpb2), and the transcription elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1). A total of nine species from China were assigned to the subgenus, including seven novel species, namely Cantharellusaurantinus, C. austrosinensis, C. galbanus, C. luteolus, C. luteovirens, C. minioalbus, and C. sinominior, and two known species, namely C. albus and C. zangii. The detailed descriptions and illustrations were provided based on the newly obtained data, with the comparisons to closely related species. C. zangii was restudied based on the paratype specimens and multiple new collections from the type locality. Futhermore, the Indian species C. sikkimensis was identified as a synonym of C. zangii based on the morphological and molecular analyses. A key to the Chinese species belonging to the subg. Parvocantharellus is also provided.

Evidence for Persistent Heteroplasmy and Ancient Recombination in the Mitochondrial Genomes of the Edible Yellow Chanterelles From Southwestern China and Europe

Mitochondrial genes and genomes have patterns of inheritance that are distinctly different from those of nuclear genes and genomes. In nature, the mitochondrial genomes in eukaryotes are generally considered non-recombining and homoplasmic. If heteroplasmy and recombination exist, they are typically very limited in both space and time. Here we show that mitochondrial heteroplasmy and recombination may not be limited to a specific population nor exit only transiently in the basidiomycete Cantharellus cibarius and related species. These edible yellow chanterelles are an ecologically very important group of fungi and among the most prominent wild edible mushrooms in the Northern Hemisphere. At present, very little is known about the genetics and population biology of these fungia cross large geographical distances. Our study here analyzed a total of 363 specimens of edible yellow chanterelles from 24 geographic locations in Yunnan in southwestern China and six geographic locations in five countries in Europe. For each mushroom sample, we obtained the DNA sequences at two genes, one in the nuclear genome and one in the mitochondrial genome. Our analyses of the nuclear gene, translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef-1) and the DNA barcode of C. cibarius and related species, suggested these samples belong to four known species and five potential new species. Interestingly, analyses of the mitochondrial ATP synthase subunit 6 (atp6) gene fragment revealed evidence of heteroplasmy in two geographic samples in Yunnan and recombination within the two new putative species in Yunnan. Specifically, all four possible haplotypes at two polymorphic nucleotide sites within the mitochondrial atp6 gene were found distributed across several geographic locations in Yunnan. Furthermore, these four haplotypes were broadly distributed across multiple phylogenetic clades constructed based on nuclear tef-1 sequences. Our results suggest that heteroplasmy and mitochondrial recombination might have happened repeatedly during the evolution of the yellow chanterelles. Together, our results suggest that the edible yellow chanterelles represent an excellent system from which to study the evolution of mitochondrial-nuclear genome relationships.

Neoboletus infuscatus, a new tropical bolete from Hainan, southern China

Neoboletus infuscatus (Boletaceae, Boletales) is described as a new species from Yinggeling of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, southern China. It is morphologically characterized by a large basidioma with a nearly glabrous, brownish yellow, yellowish brown to pale brown pileus, pores orangish red when young, yellowish brown to brown when old, context and hymenophore staining blue when injured, a yellow stipe with red punctuations, surfaces of the pileus and the stipe usually covered with a thin layer of white pruina when young. Phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences from part of the 28S gene, the nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, and part of the translation elongation factor 1-α gene (TEF1) also confirm that N. infuscatus forms an independent lineage within Neoboletus. Detailed morphological description, color photos of fresh basidiomata and line-drawings of microstructures are provided.

Two new species and a new record of yellow Cantharellus from tropical Quercus forests in eastern Mexico with the proposal of a new name for the replacement of Craterellus confluens

Two new species of yellow Cantharellus and a new record of Cantharellustabernensis associated with tropical species of Quercus are presented, based on the taxonomic study of fresh specimens and in a phylogenetic analysis of transcription elongation factor 1-alpha (tef-1α) and the large subunit of the ribosome (nLSU) sequences. One of the new species proposed here, corresponds to a choice edible mushroom, which, in our molecular phylogeny, resulted in it being related to the group of species around C.lateritius and sister with Craterellusconfluens type specimen. This latter is here formally transferred to Cantharellus and consequently a new name, Cantharellusfurcatus, is proposed to replace the homonym Cantharellusconfluens (Schwein.) Schwein. 1834 a later synonym of Byssomeruliuscorium. Detailed macroscopic and microscopic descriptions accompanied with illustrations and a taxonomic discussion are presented for each species.

New Cantharellus species from South Korea

In this third contribution involving new Cantharellus species from South Korea, two new species are introduced. In addition, we document a first report of the recently described Japanese Cantharellusanzutake outside of Japan based on identical ITS sequence data. Cantharelluscitrinussp. nov. is introduced as a new member of subgenus Cinnabarini, to which the closely related Korean C.albovenosus and Chinese C.phloginus also belong. Cantharelluscurvatussp. nov. is introduced as a new member of subgenus Parvocantharellus, in which the Korean C.koreanus was recently placed. The respective placements of the new taxa are significantly supported by a phylogenetic analysis of sequences from the transcription elongation factor (tef-1).