No abstract

Ganodermataceae is a remarkable group of polypore fungi, mainly characterized by particular double-walled basidiospores with a coloured endosporium ornamented with columns or crests, and a hyaline smooth exosporium. In order to establish an integrative morphological and molecular phylogenetic approach to clarify relationship of Neotropical Amauroderma s.lat. within the Ganodermataceae family, morphological analyses, including scanning electron microscopy, as well as a molecular phylogenetic approach based on one (ITS) and four loci (ITS-5.8S, LSU, TEF-1α and RPB1), were carried out. Ultrastructural analyses raised up a new character for Ganodermataceae systematics, i.e., the presence of perforation in the exosporium with holes that are connected with hollow columns of the endosporium. This character is considered as a synapomorphy in Foraminispora, a new genus proposed here to accommodate Porothelium rugosum (≡ Amauroderma sprucei). Furtadoa is proposed to accommodate species with monomitic context: F. biseptata, F. brasiliensis and F. corneri. Molecular phylogenetic analyses confirm that both genera grouped as strongly supported distinct lineages out of the Amauroderma s.str. clade.

Nomenclatural type definitions are one of the most important concepts in biological nomenclature. Being physical objects that can be re-studied by other researchers, types permanently link taxonomy (an artificial agreement to classify biological diversity) with nomenclature (an artificial agreement to name biological diversity). Two proposals to amend the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), allowing DNA sequences alone (of any region and extent) to serve as types of taxon names for voucherless fungi (mainly putative taxa from environmental DNA sequences), have been submitted to be voted on at the 11th International Mycological Congress (Puerto Rico, July 2018). We consider various genetic processes affecting the distribution of alleles among taxa and find that alleles may not consistently and uniquely represent the species within which they are contained. Should the proposals be accepted, the meaning of nomenclatural types would change in a fundamental way from physical objects as sources of data to the data themselves. Such changes are conducive to irreproducible science, the potential typification on artefactual data, and massive creation of names with low information content, ultimately causing nomenclatural instability and unnecessary work for future researchers that would stall future explorations of fungal diversity. We conclude that the acceptance of DNA sequences alone as types of names of taxa, under the terms used in the current proposals, is unnecessary and would not solve the problem of naming putative taxa known only from DNA sequences in a scientifically defensible way. As an alternative, we highlight the use of formulas for naming putative taxa (candidate taxa) that do not require any modification of the ICN.

A new poroid genus with two conspicuous and common species growing on living Fabaceae trees is described from the Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests biome of Brazil. Both taxa in this forest pathogen genus resemble Phellinus rimosus macroscopically, but are distinguished by a dimitic hyphal system with skeletal hyphae present only in the trama of the tube layer while the context remains monomitic, and by the ellipsoid, thick-walled, adaxially flattened, yellow basidiospores that turn chestnut brown in KOH solution. Molecular and morphological studies of Brazilian specimens macroscopically similar to the Phellinus rimosus species complex were carried out to solve their phylogenetic relationships among the Hymenochaetaceae. Phellinotus gen. nov. with P. neoaridus sp. nov. as the genus type and P. piptadeniae comb. nov. are presented and described. Phylogenetically, Phellinotus is closely related to Arambarria, Inocutis, Fomitiporella and other taxonomically unresolved terminal clades, and unrelated to Fulvifomes and Phylloporia. Phellinotus and other genera of poroid Hymenochaetaceae that lack setae or setal hyphae and produce thick-walled, colored (pale yellow to rusty brown) basidiospores form a phylogenetic group here named the ‘phellinotus clade’. Our results indicate the need to include taxa from unexplored areas in order to get a thorough understanding of the phylogeny of the Hymenochaetaceae.

The polypores ( Aphyllophorales s .l ., Basidiomycota ) are very effective wood decayers. Different species differ in their capacity to decay wood; therefore, many functionally different species can be found decaying different substrate conditions (decay stages and log diameter). This study aimed to describe the structure of the wood-decay polypore communities that occur on different states of wood of the Andean alder ( Alnus acuminata ) within Argentina and to identify groups of polypore species that share the same substrate condition, and thus might have a similar functional role in the decay processes. We found 16 polypore species, among which Trametes versicolor , Bjerkandera adusta and Trametes cubensis were dominant species, showing the highest relative frequency in alder wood. Species richness was lower on trunks of living trees and higher on dead branches. Based on preferential occurrence on different wood conditions, a cluster analysis distinguished three groups, each of them containing one of the three dominant species. This corresponds to the situation of other groups of organisms, where each functional type consists of a dominant species that accounts for most of the 'function' and several subordinate species with similar functions. Albeit preliminary, our results provide a formal classification of wood-decay fungi into functional types.

The status of the F. punctata complex in tropical/subtropical America, and more specifically in Cuba and the surrounding area, was partially assessed. Fomitiporia langloisii, Fomitiporia dryophila and Fomitiporia maxonii, three names long considered taxonomic synonyms of F. punctata, are recognized as representing three distinct species that are distinguished from the latter on the basis of morphological, molecular and ecological (biogeographical) data. The three species are described again and their preliminary phylogenetic relationships within Fomitiporia are discussed. Fomitiporia tabaquilio comb. nov. is proposed. The status of Fomitiporia in America and its present circumscription are discussed.

During a polypore survey in the Cerrado (Mato Grosso state, Brazil), Amauroderma specimens were collected and some of them deserved special taxonomic attention due to their intermediate morphology between A. calcigenum and A. partitum. A comparative study of the types and reference material, as well as phylogenetic analysis, led us to conclude that these specimens represent an undescribed species, presented here as Amauroderma calcitum. In addition A. brasiliense is presented as a new record for the Brazilian Cerrado. Illustrations, taxonomic analyses and a discussion are presented for each taxon, and a key to the Amauroderma species from Brazil is provided. A phylogenetic discussion about the genus is also presented.

Twenty-three polypore species were found in Polylepis Ruiz & Pav. (Rosacecae) woodlands from Argentina. Six species occur exclusively in the neotropics and four are host-specific to Polylepis ( Phellinus tabaquilio , Phellinus uncisetus , Phellinus daedaliformis , and Datronia orcomanta ), of which the first two are facultative parasites or occur during the early stages of wood decay. Host specificity and patterns of distribution vary among species. Datronia orcomanta Robledo & Rajchenb. is described as a new endemic taxon and Inonotus serranus is reduced to synonymy with Inonotus venezuelicus .