Hydnaceous fungi of China 8. Morphological and molecular identification of three new species of Sarcodon and a new record from southwest China

Abstract

Three new stipitate hydnoid fungi, Sarcodon coactus, S. grosselepidotus and S. lidongensis, are described and illustrated, based on morphological characteristics and nuc ITS rDNA + nuc LSU rDNA sequence analyses and a new record, S. leucopus, from China is reported. S. coactus is characterised by ellipsoid to round basidiocarps, reddish-brown to dark brown, felted pileal surface with white and incurved margins, simple-septate and partly short-celled generative hyphae and irregular subglobose, thin-walled, brown basidiospores with tuberculate ornamentation (tuberculi up to 1 μm long). S. grosselepidotus is characterised by infundibuliform to round, occasionally deeply fissured pileus, pale orange to dark ruby pileal surface with ascending and coarse scales, simple-septate generative hyphae and irregular ellipsoid to globose, thin-walled, brown basidiospores with tuberculate ornamentation (tuberculi up to 0.7 μm long). S. lidongensis is characterised by plano-convex to somewhat depressed and regular orbicular pileus, light brown to dark brown pileal surface with adhering squamose and purplish-brown, incurved and occasionally incised margin, cylindrical or broadened below stipe, simple-septate generative hyphae and irregular ellipsoid to subglobose, thin-walled basidiospores with tuberculate ornamentation (tuberculi up to 1 μm long). The absence of the clamp connection is the common morphological characteristic of these three new species; however, S. leucopus, a new record from China, has frequently clamped generative hyphae. Molecular analyses confirm the phylogenetic positions of three new and the new record species. The discriminating characters of these three new species and closely related species are discussed and a key to the species of Sarcodon from China is provided.

New insights into the stipitate hydnoid fungi Sarcodon, Hydnellum, and the formerly informally defined Neosarcodon, with emphasis on the edible species marketed in Southwest China

“…Additionally, a distinct clade, “ Neosarcodon ”, was informally defined in the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence analysis of that study. Mu et al ( 2021 ) also confirmed that the traditional concept of Sarcodon was not monophyletic, and their previously described new species of Sarcodon (Mu et al 2020 ) were shown to be nested in Hydnellum . Notably, all the known species in the traditional Sarcodon sect.…”

“…ITS sequences of the specimens collected in China were almost identical to those of Larsson et al ( 2019 ). In Mu et al ( 2020 ), S. leucopus was documented as a new Chinese record based on molecular evidence, however, no pictures or descriptions based on the Chinese materials was provided. Mleczko et al ( 2011 ) has ever described this species in detail, and some descriptions in that study were different from the morphological characters observed in specimens collected from China.…”

“…It is estimated that more than 1,500 tonnes of Sarcodon species are sold in the free markets per year in Sichuan province. Studies in recent years have demonstrated the high species diversity of the stipitate hydnoid genera Hydnellum and Phellodon in China (Mu et al 2020 , 2021 , 2022b ; Song et al 2022a ). However, little taxonomic information about Chinese Sarcodon was involved in these studies.…”

“…Moreover, little information about the taxonomic placements of these Hydnellu m species sold in markets was documented in China. Mu et al ( 2020 , 2021 ) described 13 new Hydnellum species from China, most of which seemed to be different from the edible Hydnellum species sold in the markets. In a review of the diversity of Chinese macrofungal resources (Wu et al 2019 ), only three “ Sarcodon” species ( S. imbricatus , S. leucopus , S. violaceus ) and two Hydnellum species ( H. concrescens and H. cumulatum ) were listed as edible; S. violaceus has been considered as Bankera violacea .…”

Multi-Gene Phylogeny and Taxonomy of Hydnellum (Bankeraceae, Basidiomycota) from China

“…Specimens were deposited at the herbarium of the Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IFP). Microscopic procedures followed Mu et al [38]. Structures were examined microscopically from sections mounted in Cotton Blue (CB): 0.1 mg aniline blue dissolved in 60 g pure lactic acid; CB+ = cyanophilous, CB− = acyanophilous.…”