Cortinarius anaunianus (Agaricales, Cortinariaceae): a new species of the Humolentes clade from Italy

Cortinarius anaunianus is described as a new species within the Humolentes clade of the section Calochroi s. lato from alpine silver fir forests (Abies alba) in northeastern Italy (Val di Non, province of Trento). Phylogeny based on the combined nrDNA ITS and LSU, rpb1, rpb2 and the coded gaps of the ITS region supports the independence of C. anaunianus from the closest taxa and its sister position to C. humolens from which it differs by (i) more vivid olivaceous tinges on pileus and lamellae when young, (ii) pileus surface strongly turning ocher-brown with age and exposure (iii) growing in silver fir forests rather than in association with broadleaved trees. Photos of fresh basidiomes in field and a full description of its main macro- and micromorphological features are provided and compared to those of the morphologically most similar species.

Leucoagaricus fragilis sp. nov. (Agaricaceae) from Punjab, Pakistan

A novel species, Leucoagaricus fragilis, is described from the vicinity of the Cholistan desert, Punjab, Pakistan. The taxon is characterized by white, fragile basidiomata with a light brown, umbonate disk, a radially fibrillose pileus surface rarely splitting radially, pinkish brown lamellae at maturity, a white, bent stipe that stains yellowish upon handling, an inferior annulus, sub-globose to ellipsoid basidiospores, broadly clavate to abundantly sphaeropedunculate cheilocystidia, and cylindrical pileipellis hyphae intermixed with broader clavate elements with rounded ends. Morpho-anatomical and molecular phylogenetic analyses of nrITS and nrLSU datasets confirmed a new taxon in L. sect. Piloselli. A key to the known species of Leucoagaricus in Pakistan is also provided.

Taxonomic and nomenclatural novelties in Leucoagaricus (Agaricaceae) from Brazil

Leucoagaricus nzumbae sp. nov. (Agaricaceae) is described based on morphological and molecular data from Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This species is characterized by the delicate small basidiomes that turn completely lilac when dried, brownish color of the pileus surface, and trichodermal elements with intracellular and parietal brown pigments of the pileus covering. A lectotype and an epitype are designated for Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, a symbiotic fungus of leaf-cutting ants. Full description, nomenclatural notes, and illustrations of fresh basidiomes in situ and of the main macro-and micromorphological features of both species are provided.

Pluteus anatolicus (Pluteaceae, Agaricales): a new species of Pluteus sect. Celluloderma from Turkey based on both morphological and molecular evidence

A new species belonging to Pluteus sect. Celluloderma with specimens collected in Artvin Province, Black Sea region, northeastern Turkey, is described as Pluteus anatolicus sp. nov. based on morphological characteristics and molecular data (nrITS). The new species was found in Fagus orientalis forests and is mainly characterized by a terrestrial habit, small-sized basidiomata, cracking pileus surface depressed at the center, broadly ellipsoid to ellipsoid basidiospores, narrowly utriform to narrowly fusiform or fusiform pleurocystidia with obtuse or subcapitate apex and sometimes with elongated pedicel, narrowly clavate to clavate cheilocystidia, absence of caulocystidia and pileipellis elements predominantly with a broadly mucronate apex and long pedicel. A comprehensive description and illustrations are provided, with its phylogenetic placement based on ITS also evaluated and including comparison to morphologically similar taxa and phylogenetically related species.

Taxonomic revision of Russula subsection Amoeninae from South Korea

Russula subsection Amoeninae is morphologically defined by a dry velvety pileus surface, a complete absence of cystidia with heteromorphous contents in all tissues, and spores without amyloid suprahilar spot. Thirty-four species within subsection Amoeninae have been published worldwide. Although most Russula species in South Korea have been assigned European or North American names, recent molecular studies have shown that Russula species from different continents are not conspecific. Therefore, the present study aims to: 1) define which species of Russula subsection Amoeninae occur on each continent using molecular phylogenetic analyses; 2) revise the taxonomy of Korean Amoeninae. The phylogenetic analyses using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and multilocus sequences showed that subsection Amoeninae is monophyletic within subgenus Heterophyllidiae section Heterophyllae. A total of 21 Russula subsection Amoeninae species were confirmed from Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and Central America, and species from different continents formed separate clades. Three species were recognized from South Korea and were clearly separated from the European and North American species. These species are R. bella, also reported from Japan, a new species described herein, Russula orientipurpurea, and a new species undescribed due to insufficient material.

Ganoderma bambusicola sp. nov. (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) from southern Asia

Ganoderma bambusicola sp. nov. is described and illustrated from tropical Taiwan; it is also found in Laos and Myamar. The species is recognized as new based on morphological study and phylogenetic analyses using three gene regions: ITS, rpb2 and tef1-α. Ganoderma bambusicola has been incorrectly identified as G. neojaponicum in Taiwan for several decades on account of it having a similar shiny dark reddish brown to purplish black pileus surface and a blackish long stipe, but it differs from the latter species in having a homogeneous pileal context. Ganoderma bambusicola is, to date, only known from southern Asia and grows on bamboo roots, while G. neojaponicum occurs on roots or trunks of conifers in Japan, China and Korea. These two species do not have a close relationship according to the present phylogenetic study.

Lepiota cholistanensis a new species of Lepiota (Agaricaceae: Basidiomycota) from Cholistan desert, Pakistan

Lepiota cholistanensis was collected from an unusual locality of Cholistan desert, an unexplored area of Pakistan. This species is characterized by having small basidiomata provided with slightly uplifted brown squamules on pileus surface. Stipe color changes to brown on handling or bruising. Compact hymeniderm pileus covering containing variable shaped pileus elements varies from sub-globose to broadly clavate, long and narrowly clavate, and sphaeropedunculate having cylindrical ante-terminal elements and cheilocystidia are cylindrical to narrowly clavate. Basidiospores are sub-globose, broadly ellipsoid to vaguely oval shaped, olivaceous green, binucleate and non-dextrinoid. The phylogenetic analyses were performed using ITS and LSU datasets. Our newly described taxon grouped well in section Cristatae during the phylogenetic analyses.

Lepiota condylospora, a new species with nodulose spores in section Lilaceae from northern Thailand

During our studies of the genus Lepiota in northern Thailand we collected a putatively new species with a distinct morphology and ITS nrDNA profile from Chiang Mai Province. The new species, Lepiota condylospora, is characterized by the presence of reddish brown to brownish orange or brown squamules on the pileus surface, triangular basidiospores with two lateral knobs, and a hymenidermal pileipellis composed of broadly to narrowly clavate elements. Two genetically distinct species of Lepiota section Lilaceae having triangular spores with two lateral knobs are compared with L. condylospora: Lepiota fraterna, from Papua New Guinea, differs in having larger basidiospores and cheilocystidia; while L. cristata var. macrospora, from China, has bigger basidiomata. A full description, color photographs, line drawings and a phylogenetic tree to show the position of the new species are provided.

Armillaria xiaocaobaensis sp. nov. from China

A new wood-inhabiting fungal species from Yunnan Province, China, is proposed based on morphological and molecular characters. Armillaria xiaocaobaensis is characterized by a central stipe, striate to furrowed orange yellow to pinkish brown pileus surface, membranous annulus, and ellipsoid, a monomitic hyphal system with generative hyphae bearing simple septa, and slightly thick-walled basidiospores averaging 7.7 × 4.9 μm. TEF1 sequence analyses support A. xiaocaobaensis as a distinct taxon in Armillaria.

Studies of Neotropical tree pathogens in Moniliophthora: a new species, M. mayarum, and new combinations for Crinipellis ticoi and C. brasiliensis

The crinipelloid genera Crinipellis and Moniliophthora (Agaricales, Marasmiaceae) are characterized by basidiomes that produce long, dextrinoid, hair-like elements on the pileus surface. Historically, most species are believed to be saprotrophic or, rarely, parasitic on plant hosts. The primary morphological diagnostic characters that separate Crinipellis and Moniliophthora are pliant vs. stiff (Crinipellis) stipes and a tendency toward production of reddish pigments (ranging from violet to orange) in the basidiome in Moniliophthora. Additionally, most species of Moniliophthora appear to have a biotrophic habit, while those of Crinipellis are predominantly saprotrophic. Recently, several new neotropical collections prompted a morphological and phylogenetic analysis of this group. Herein, we propose a new species and two new combinations: Moniliophthora mayarumsp. nov., described from Belize, is characterized by its larger pileus and narrower basidiospores relative to other related species; Moniliophthora ticoicomb. nov. (= Crinipellis ticoi) is recollected and redescribed from biotrophic collections from northern Argentina; and M. brasiliensiscomb. nov. (= Crinipellis brasiliensis), a parasite of Heteropterys acutifolia. The addition of these three parasitic species into Moniliophthora support a hypothesis of a primarily biotrophic/parasitic habit within this genus.