Crystallodon Alvarenga, 2021

M, Renato Lúcio, Alvarenga, endes & Gibertoni, Tatiana Baptista, 2021, Crystallodon Alvarenga gen. nov., a new genus of the Auriculariales from the Neotropics, Cryptogamie, Mycologie 20 (2), pp. 17-24 : 21

Crystallodon Alvarenga gen. nov.

( Figs 1 , 2 )

TYPE SPECIES. — Heterochaete subgelatinosa Bodman , Lloydia 15 (4): 228 (1953).

MYCOBANK NUMBER. — MB 832484.

ETYMOLOGY. — From ‘ crystallum’ (Lat., noun.) – crystal, and ‘ odon’ (Greek, noun) – tooth.

SYSTEMATIC POSITION. — Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes, Auriculariales, Incertae Sedis.

DIAGNOSIS. — Basidiomata annual, resupinate, effused, closely adnate, gelatinous to crustaceous. Margin adnate, fimbriate. Hymenial surface covered by sharp-pointed sterile spines (hyphal pegs) formed by a thin core made of hyphae (hyphal core) enclosed by abundant crystals. Hyphal structure monomitic, hyphae clamped. Cystidia fusiform, cylindrical, often sinuous, some with refractive content. Hyphidia in hymenium, hyaline, thin-walled. Fertile hyphae, tortuous, forming 2-4 basidia at the apex, collapsed basidia often present. Basidia ellipsoid-ovoid, 4-celled, basidiospores cylindrical to broadly cylindrical, slightly curved, with oil droplets in the cytoplasm. Phylogenetically, the genus represents a new lineage in Auriculariales .

NOTES

Recently, Brazilian specimens displaying hyphal pegs were proposed to be attributed to two new genera, Adustochaete and Metulochaete ( Alvarenga et al. 2019; Spirin et al. 2019b). In Adustochaete , hyphal pegs are formed by smooth tramal hyphae and encrusted dendrohyphidia, while in Metulochaete hyphal pegs are formed by densely glued hyphae with strongly encrusted apical parts similar to metuloid cystidia. Therefore, so far, Crystallodon Alvarenga gen. nov. is the only genus among resupinate Auriculariales that has been reported to display hyphal pegs formed by a thin core of hyphae covered by angular crystals.

Figures

FIG. 1. — Phylogenetic reconstruction using ITS + 28S rDNA topology from BI analysis showing the lineages of Auriculariales. All sequences generated in this study are indicated in bold. The voucher or GenBank accession number and country, when available, are given for each specimen. Support values (ML/BI) are indicated above the branches. Scale bar shows the number of expected changes per site.

FIG. 2. — Crystallodon subgelatinosum (Bodman) Alvarenga & Gibertoni, comb. nov. (URM 93444): A, basidiomata; B, fresh hymenophore (URM 93443); C, dry hymenophore (URM 93444); D, crystal agglomeration; E, basidia (black arrow), cystidia (red arrow), hyphidia (grey arrows); F, basidiospores. Scale bars: A, 2 cm; B, 1 cm; C, 10 mm; D, 50 μm; E, F, 10 μm.