A phylogenetic overview of the Hydnaceae (Cantharellales, Basidiomycota) with new taxa from China.

The family Hydnaceae (Cantharellales, Basidiomycota) is a group of fungi found worldwide which exhibit stichic nuclear division. The group is highly diverse in morphology, ecology, and phylogeny, and includes some edible species which are popular all over the world. Traditionally, Hydnaceae together with Cantharellaceae, Clavulinaceae and Sistotremataceae are four families in the Cantharellales. The four families were combined and redefined as "Hydnaceae", however, a comprehensive phylogeny based on multiple-marker dataset for the entire Hydnaceae sensu stricto is still lacking and the delimitation is also unclear. We inferred Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian phylogenies for the family Hydnaceae from the data of five DNA regions: the large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nLSU), the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS), the mitochondrial small subunit rDNA gene (mtSSU), the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2) and the translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene (TEF1). We also produced three more phylogenetic trees for Cantharellus based on 5.8S, nLSU, mtSSU, RPB2 and TEF1, Craterellus and Hydnum both based on the combined nLSU and ITS. This study has reproduced the status of Hydnaceae in the order Cantharellales, and phylogenetically confirmed seventeen genera in Hydnaceae. Twenty nine new taxa or synonyms are described, revealed, proposed, or reported, including eight new subgenera (Cantharellus subgenus Magnus, Craterellus subgenus Cariosi, subg. Craterellus, subg. Imperforati, subg. Lamelles, subg. Longibasidiosi, subg. Ovoidei, and Hydnum subgenus Brevispina); seventeen new species (Ca. laevihymeninus, Ca. magnus, Ca. subminor, Cr. badiogriseus, Cr. croceialbus, Cr. macrosporus, Cr. squamatus, H. brevispinum, H. flabellatum, H. flavidocanum, H. longibasidium, H. pallidocroceum, H. pallidomarginatum, H. sphaericum, H. tangerinum, H. tenuistipitum and H. ventricosum); two synonyms (Ca. anzutake and Ca. tuberculosporus as Ca. yunnanensis), and two newly recorded species (H. albomagnum and H. minum). The distinguishing characters of the new species and subgenera as well as their allied taxa are discussed in the notes which follow them. The delimitation and diversity in morphology, ecology, and phylogeny of Hydnaceae is discussed. Notes of seventeen genera which are phylogenetically accepted in Hydnaceae by this study and a key to the genera in Hydnaceae are provided.

Two new Cortinarius species in subgenus Leprocybe from Southwest China.

Two new Cortinarius species in subgenus Leprocybe, Cortinarius hengduanensis and C. yadingensis, are proposed based on a combination of morphological and molecular evidence. Cortinarius hengduanensis has distinct olive tinged basidiomata, a squamulose pileus, and small, subglobose to broadly ellipsoid basidiospores, the ITS sequence differs from that of C. flavifolium by at least 28 substitutions and independent positions. Cortinarius yadingensis has a squamulose pileus and subglobose to broadly ellipsoid coarsely verrucose basidiospores, the ITS sequence has at least 11 substitutions and index position deviations from the other members of the Leprocybe section. Both new species were found in mixed forests of southwest China.

Four New Species of Russula Subsection Sardoninae from China.

Four new species of Russula subsection Sardoninae from northern and southwestern China under coniferous and deciduous trees are proposed as R. begonia, R. photinia, R. rhodochroa, and R. rufa. Illustrations and descriptions of R. gracillima, R. leucomarginata, R. roseola, and the above four new species are provided based on evidence of morphological characters and phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), as well as the multi-locus of mtSSU, nLSU, rpb1, rpb2 and tef1-α. The relationships between these new species and allied taxa are discussed.

Morphological and Phylogenetic Evidence Reveal Five New Telamonioid Species of Cortinarius (Agaricales) from East Asia.

Five new Cortinarius species, C. neobalaustinus, C. pseudocamphoratus, C. subnymphatus, C. wuliangshanensis and C. yanjiensis spp. nov., are proposed based on a combination of morphological and molecular evidence. Cortinarius neobalaustinus is characterized by a very weakly hygrophanous and yellowish-brown to brown pileus and small and weakly verrucose basidiospores. Cortinarius pseudocamphoratus can be characterized by a viscid pileus, a strongly unpleasant smell, amygdaloid to somewhat ellipsoid basidiospores and lageniform to subfusiform cheilocystidia. Cortinarius subnymphatus is identified by a strongly hygrophanous pileus that is reddish-brown with a black-brown umbo, a yellowish universal veil and ellipsoid to subamygdaloid basidiospores. Cortinarius wuliangshanensis is characterized by a moderately to strongly hygrophanous, translucently striated and yellowish to reddish-brown pileus and rather weakly and moderately verrucose basidiospores. Cortinarius yanjiensis is distinguished by a weakly to moderately hygrophanous and yellowish to brown pileus and moderately to rather strongly verrucose basidiospores. The phylogenetic analyses were performed with maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods based on the data set of nuc rDNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS), D1-D2 domains of nuc 28S rDNA (28S) and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2), and the results show that C. neobalaustinus, C. wulianghsanensis and C. yanjiensis cluster in sect. Illumini, C. pseudocamporatus belongs to sect. Camphorati and C. subnymphatus belongs to sect. Laeti. In addition, a study of basidiospores under field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was conducted. An identification key for the five new species and related species from China is also provided.

Hygrophorus annulatus, a new edible member of H. olivaceoalbus-complex from southwestern China.

Members of Hygrophorus olivaceoalbus-complex or olive waxcaps have both ecological and economic significance. European and North American species diversity of this fungal group has been presented in recent molecular phylogenetic studies, but no Chinese materials were included. In this study, a phylogenetic overview of the H. olivaceoalbus-complex based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences was made, and a local popular edible species from southwestern China was described as a new species H. annulatus. This new species is characterized by grayish brown, olive brown to dark brown pileus disc, inflexed to deflexed pileus margin, obvious and dark brown annulus, basidiospores measuring (8.0-)8.5-11.0(-12.0) × 5.0-7.5(-8.0) µm, and the distribution in subalpine forests dominated by Abies and/or Picea in southwestern China.

Cortinarius subsalor and C. tibeticisalor spp. nov., two new species from the section Delibuti from China.

Cortinarius subsalor and C. tibeticisalor, belonging to the section Delibuti, are described from China as new to science. Cortinarius subsalor has been found to be associated with Lithocarpus trees in subtropical China and resembling C. salor, but it differs from the later by having slender basidiomata and the narrower basidiospores. Cortinarius tibeticisalor was collected from eastern Tibetan Plateau, associated with Abies. It differs from other species within sect. Delibuti by having olive tinge of mature or dried basidiomata and bigger basidiospores. The molecular data also support C. subsalor and C. tibeticisalor as new species. The phylogenetic analyses and biogeography of sect. Delibuti are discussed and a key to the species of this section currently known in the world is provided.

Three new species of Cortinarius subgenus Telamonia (Cortinariaceae, Agaricales) from China.

Cortinarius is an important ectomycorrhizal genus that forms a symbiotic relationship with certain trees, shrubs and herbs. Recently, we began studying Cortinarius in China and here we describe three new species of Cortinarius subg. Telamonia based on morphological and ecological characteristics, together with phylogenetic analyses. Cortinarius laccariphyllus sp. nov. (section Colymbadini) is associated with broadleaf trees, with strongly hygrophanous basidiomata, special Laccaria-like lamellae and white and extremely sparse universal veil. Cortinarius neotorvus sp. nov. (section Telamonia) is associated with broadleaf trees and is easily confused with C. torvus, but can be distinguished by the colour of the fresh basidiomes and the stipe usually somewhat tapering towards the base. Cortinarius subfuscoperonatus sp. nov. (section Fuscoperonati) is associated with coniferous trees, with subglobose to broadly ellipsoid spores and is closely related to C. fuscoperonatus. A key to the new species and similar species in sections Colymbadini, Telamonia and Fuscoperonati is provided.

Hygrophorus subsection Hygrophorus (Hygrophoraceae, Agaricales) in China.

Hygrophorus subsect. Hygrophorus has been relatively well-studied in Europe and North America, but studies on the taxa in Asia, particularly in China, are still limited. In this study, phylogenetic overviews of genus Hygrophorus, based on the nuclear large subunit (LSU) ribosomal RNA gene and of subsect. Hygrophorus, based on the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions were generated. Four new species, i.e. H. brunneodiscus, H. fuscopapillatus, H. glutiniceps and H. griseodiscus are described from southern China; and a rarely reported edible species H. hedrychii is described in detail, based upon the materials from north-eastern China. The main characteristics of the species under subsect. Hygrophorus worldwide are summarised in a table.

New Germplasms of the Culinary-Medicinal Button Mushroom, Agaricus bisporus (Agaricomycetes): Two Wild Strains from the Tibetan Plateau (China).

Agaricus bisporus is one of the most important commercially cultivated culinary-medicinal mushrooms worldwide. In China, most of the cultivated strains of the fungus were introduced from other countries and cultivated in the eastern provinces. In this study, 2 wild strains of A. bisporus, 2091 and 2094, isolated from fresh specimens collected from the Tibetan Plateau, were domesticated and cultivated alongside a commercial hybrid strain, As2796, in Lhasa, China, for comparison in order to provide new germplasms for cultivation. Basic characteristics, mushroom yield, dry weight, polysaccharide contents, and antioxidant activities of the tested strains were analyzed. Compared with strain As2796, the 2 wild strains displayed good values for mycelial growth, time to fruiting, mushroom yield, dry weight, and polysaccharide contents, and their basidiomata had distinct morphological characteristics (e.g., brown or pale brown caps with some white scales). In addition, the antioxidant activities (reducing power and DPPH radical scavenging effect) of strain 2094 were significantly higher than those of the other 2 strains. Domestication of the 2 wild strains would add more genetic variation into the germplasm of A. bisporus for cultivation, especially in China, and might help to address the problem inherent to the nearly monoculture crop lacking genetic diversity in China.

Termitomyces bulborhizus sp. nov. from China, with a key to allied species.

The new species, Termitomyces bulborhizus, is described from south-west China. The stipe of the basidiome is swollen into a prominent bulbous base at ground level, and this, together with the floccules on the stipe surface, distinguishes this species within the genus. T. bulborhizus is compared with closely related species, including three originally described from China, and a key to T. bulborhizus and related species is provided.