Allophlebia, a new genus to accomodate Phlebia ludoviciana (Agaricomycetes, Polyporales)

Global Spore Sampling Project: A global, standardized dataset of airborne fungal DNA

Novel methods for sampling and characterizing biodiversity hold great promise for re-evaluating patterns of life across the planet. The sampling of airborne spores with a cyclone sampler, and the sequencing of their DNA, have been suggested as an efficient and well-calibrated tool for surveying fungal diversity across various environments. Here we present data originating from the Global Spore Sampling Project, comprising 2,768 samples collected during two years at 47 outdoor locations across the world. Each sample represents fungal DNA extracted from 24 m3 of air. We applied a conservative bioinformatics pipeline that filtered out sequences that did not show strong evidence of representing a fungal species. The pipeline yielded 27,954 species-level operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Each OTU is accompanied by a probabilistic taxonomic classification, validated through comparison with expert evaluations. To examine the potential of the data for ecological analyses, we partitioned the variation in species distributions into spatial and seasonal components, showing a strong effect of the annual mean temperature on community composition.

New corticioid taxa in Phanerochaetaceae (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) from East Asia

The species diversity, taxonomy, and phylogeny of five corticioid genera of Phanerochaetaceae, namely, Hyphodermella, Roseograndinia, Phlebiopsis, Rhizochaete, and Phanerochaete, in East Asia are studied by using the morphological and molecular methods. Phylogenetic analyses were performed separately for the Donkia, Phlebiopsis, Rhizochaete, and Phanerochaete clades based on ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 and nrLSU sequence data. In total, seven new species were found, two new combinations are suggested, and a new name is proposed. In the Donkia clade, Hyphodermella sensu stricto was strongly supported with two new lineages, namely H. laevigata and H. tropica, which were recovered. Hyphodermella aurantiaca and H. zixishanensis are members of Roseograndinia, while R. jilinensis is proved to be a later synonym of H. aurantiaca. In the Phlebiopsis clade, P. cana sp. nov. was found on the bamboo from tropical Asia. In the Rhizochaete clade, four new species, R. nakasoneae, R. subradicata, R. terrestris, and R. yunnanensis were recovered based mainly on molecular analyses. In the Phanerochaete clade, P. subsanguinea nom. nov. is proposed to replace Phanerochaete rhizomorpha C.L. Zhao & D.Q. Wang, which is an invalid name because it was published after Phanerochaete rhizomorpha C.C. Chen, Sheng H. Wu & S.H. He, representing another species. Descriptions and illustrations are provided for the new species, and discussions are given for new taxa and names. Identification keys to Hyphodermella species worldwide and Rhizochaete species in China are given separately.

Taxonomy and Phylogeny of Meruliaceae with Descriptions of Two New Species from China

Two new wood-inhabiting fungi Hermanssonia fimbriata sp. nov. and Phlebia austroasiana sp. nov. in the Meruliaceae family are described and illustrated from southwestern China based on molecular and morphological evidence. The characteristics of H. fimbriata include annual, resupinate basidiomata, the absence of cystidia and cystidioles, oblong ellipsoid basidiospores of 5–6 × 2.4–3 μm, and growth on rotten gymnosperm wood in the east Himalayas. Its basidiomata change drastically upon drying, from being a light-coloured, juicy, papillose-to-wrinkled hymenophore, to a dark-coloured, corky-to-gelatinous, and more or less smooth hymenophore. The characteristics of Ph. austroasiana include annual, resupinate basidiomata, a hydnoid hymenophore, 2–3 spines per mm, the presence of tubular cystidia of 20–25 × 3–3.5 µm, oblong ellipsoid basidiospores of 4.4–5.2 × 2.1–3 μm, and growth on angiosperm wood in tropical forests in the southern Yunnan Province. The phylogenetic analyses based on the combined 2-locus dataset (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS) + nuclear large subunit RNA (nLSU)) confirm the placement of two new species, respectively, in Hermanssonia and Phlebia s. lato. Phylogenetically, the closely-related species to these two new species are discussed.