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Summary To investigate the taxonomy of Heterobasidion in Eurasia, 49 specimens belonging to H. annosum sensu lato from Asia were identified with the aid of mating tests. Most of the specimens originated from north‐eastern and south‐western China and from the Altai region in southern Siberia, but a few isolates from Kirghizia, Japan and India were also tested. In addition to mating tests, the material from China was investigated with DNA fingerprinting. Heterobasidion annosum sensu stricto was identified only from the Altai region. Homokaryotic isolates from other specimens, except the Indian ones, were sexually compatible with H. parviporum, but they also showed a high degree of compatibility with H. abietinum and with the North American S group. The isolates from SW China (eastern Himalayas) mated with about equal frequency with the European strains of H. parviporum and H. abietinum. However, the DNA fingerprinting showed that these isolates were more closely related to H. parviporum, and hence they were tentatively included in this species. The North American S group was more distant from these Eurasian taxa. Four old isolates from India mated only weakly with the members of the H. annosum s.lat. According to the species concept presented, the distribution of H. parviporum extends from western Europe through southern Siberia to northern China, Japan and the eastern Himalayas. H. annosum s.str. is so far identified only from the Altai region outside Europe, and H. abietinum only from Europe.

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.

The total polypore flora was studied in four nearby forest areas in southern Central Finland (pro ince Etela-Hame), including the Edessalo nature reserve, and the Vesijako National Park, which is one of the oldest and densest virgin spruce forests in Finland. The field work was done in the years 1978-1980, when 855 specimens were collected and about 720 sight records were made. In all, 97 species were found. The ecology of most of the species is discussed , and their abundance and the host tree species are presented. Species reported as new to Finland are Antrodia salicina (B res.) Niemelii, Onnia triquetra (Lenz) Imaz., Rigidoporus vitreus (Fr.) Donk, Strangulidium rennyi (Berk. & Br.) Pouz., Tyromyces lowei (Pi!.) Dom. and T. undosus (Peck) Murr. The total distribution of some rare species in Finland is given, and the concept of the so-called 'taiga element' is discussed. Preliminary observations are presented on the existence of some fungal communities e.g., the co-occurrence of Amylocystis /apponica (Rom.) Sing., Fomitopsis rosea (Fr.) Karst. , Phellinus ferrugineofuscus (Karst.) Bourd. and Phlebia centrifuga Karst. on fallen trunks of Picea abtes (L.) Karsten. The susceptibility of different tree species to wood-rotting polypores is discussed, and problems in the taxonomy of some rare species are briefly reviewed.

In this study, 49 species of Hydnum are recognized worldwide. Twenty-two of them are described here as new species. Epitypes are proposed for H. repandum and H. rufescens. The majority of the species are currently known only from a single continent. The barcodes produced in this study are deposited in the RefSeq database and used as a basis to name species hypotheses in UNITE. Eleven infrageneric clades recovered in a phylogenetic analysis are supported by morphological characteristics and formally recognized: subgenera Alba, Hydnum, Pallida, and Rufescentia; sections Hydnum, Olympica, Magnorufescentia, and Rufescentia; and subsections Mulsicoloria, Rufescentia, and Tenuiformia.

Lapland 2. An annotated checklist of the polypores of northeastern Finland.-Karstenia 31:13-28. Seventy-seven polypores are listed from virgin forests in northeastern Finland, ten of which are classified as threatened in Finland. The host range and abundance of each species are given. The occurrences of threatened and also some abundant species are treated with special reference to their distribution and habitat ecology. Fungal species compositions of spruce, pine and birch forests are compared: 33 species were recorded growing on Picea abies subsp. obovata, 31 species on Pinus sylvesrris and 24 species on Betula pubescens. The economically most harmful pathogenic polypores found in the swdy area were Climacocystis borealis (Fr.

Leningrad Region, Russia; this is the second find of the species after its description from Siberia. Junghuhnia fimbriate/la (Peck) RyYarden was found in Leningrad Region; this is the first record in northern Europe. Skeletocutis borealis Niemela and many other rare species are discussed, including new localities from Finland and/or NW Russia. Some of them are illustrated, and many species are supplied w ith detailed spore measurements. 143 polypore species were recorded and collected by the authors and their co-workers in virgin forests of Russian Karelia in wide sense; 12 of them are new to the area.