Phaeoclaavulina pseudozippelii Wannathes & R. Kaewketsri, 2018

Wannathes, Nopparat, Kaewketsri, Rattikan, Suwannarach, Nakarin, Kumla, Jaturong & Lumyong, Saisamorn, 2018, Phaeoclavulina pseudozippelii sp. nov. (Gomphales, Basidiomycota) from Northern Thailand, Phytotaxa 362 (2), pp. 211-219 : 215-216

Phaeoclaavulina pseudozippelii Wannathes & R. Kaewketsri , sp. nov. ( Figure 3 )

MycoBank: MB823191

Diagnosis:—1) basidiospores echinulate and cyanophilic; 2) basidiomata relatively robust, highly-branched, brown to yellowish brown, with pale to greyish orange tips; 3) all parts bruising vinaceous brown to dark brown; 4) basidia with 1–2 sterigmata; 5) clamp connections present in all tissues.

Etymology:— pseudo = false, referring to the basidiomata that are easily mistaken for those of P. zippelii (Lév) Overeem.

Holotype:— THAILAND. Phitsanulok: Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park , trail to reforested area, 17°1'38"N 100°58'5"E alt. 820 m, 25 August 2011, R. Kaewketsri, BBH 43575 , LSU sequence MG214663 , ITS sequences MG214661 .

Basidiomata 85–150 mm tall, coralloid, brittle, light brown (6D7–8) to pale yellow (4A3), becoming vinaceous brown to dark brown when bruised. Stipe single, 14–28 × 6–17 mm, slightly rough. Branches di- or tri-chotomously branched, 4–5 times. Tips acute or blunt, pale orange to greyish orange (5B4). Chemical reactions the surface turns blackish blue when tested with 10% FeSO 4. Spore prints orange-brown.

Basidiospores 9–13(–14) × 6–8 μ m (x mr = 9.5–11.7 × 6.5–6.7 μ m, x mm = 10.6 ± 1.4 × 6.6 ± 0.8 μ m, Q = 1.3–2.0, Q m = 1.6 ± 0.2, n = 25 spores, s = 2 specimens), ellipsoid, echinulate, cyanophilic, light brown, inamyloid, thin- to thick-walled, spines 1–3 μ m high, hyaline, acute. Basidia 34–45 × 8–10 μ m, clavate, 1–2-sterigmata up to 10 μ m long,

clamped. Hyphae parallel, up to 7 μ m wide, inflated, hyaline, thin-walled, clamped, H-connections present.

Ecology and distribution: Solitary or gregarious on soil in secondary bamboo thickets, grassland, deciduous dipterocarp-oak forest, sandstone bedrock; known only from northern Thailand.

Additional collections examined: Thailand, Phitsanulok Province, Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park, trail to reforested area, 17°1 ʹ 38 ʺ N, 100°58 ʹ 50 ʺ E, alt. 820 m, on soil, 25 August 2011, R. Kaewketsri, BBH 43576, LSU sequence MG214662, ITS sequences MG214660.

Note: Phaeoclavulina pseudozippelii is characterized by forming relatively robust, collaroid, brown to yellowish brown basidiomata, with pale to greyish orange tips, vinaceous brown bruising, and 1–2 spored basidia producing echinulate basidiospores. Our new species appears as a dark form of P. zippelii (Lév) Overeem , a species distributed throughout the tropics, and the two species may be confused in the field. Phaeoclavulina zippelii has been named under Ramaria zippelli , which is comprised of six infra-specific taxa that are listed in IndexFungorum, viz. R. zippelii , R. zippelii f. aeruginosa , R. zippelii f. grandis , R. zippelii var. campestris , R. zippelli var. cristatospora , and R. zippelii var. gracilis . Ramaria zippelii and R. zippelii f. aeruginosa are of the same morphotaxon and they are a synonym of P. zippelii ( Giachini & Castellano 2011) . Phaeoclavulina zippelii differs from P. pseudozippelii in forming pale yellow to pale brown basidiomata with white to creamy yellow tips and by producing slightly bigger basidiospores (10–15.5 × 6–8 μ m) ( Giachini 2004). The molecular data support the distinction of P. pseudozippelii and P. z ippelii ( Figure 1 ). Ramaria zippelii f. grandis is a synonym of P. cyaocephala , a species distributed in the pantropical zone and was recently reported as being present in Thailand ( Maneevun et al. 2012). Phaeoclavulina cyaocephala differs from P. pseudozippelii in forming larger basidiomata (up to 300 mm tall) with greenish blue tips ( Giachini 2004; Maneevun et al. 2012). Phaeoclavulina campestris , a unique species that it used to be R. zippelli var. campestris , diverges from the new species in processing cauliflower-like, massive ramaroid, yellow to orange to olivaceous brown basidiomata and forms basidia with (2–)3–4 sterigmata ( Giachini 2004). The variety “ cristatospora ” of R. zippelii is thought to be a synonym of P. decolour , which was revised based on the morphology and DNA sequences by Giachini & Castellano (2011). Phaeoclavulina decolor differs from P. pseudozippelii in forming smaller basidiomata (up to 100 mm tall) with sordid pale orange and produces slightly longer basidiospores (11–16 × 4.5–7 μ m) with spines connected into circular to semi-circular ridges in the median area ( Giachini 2004). Phaeoclavulina pseudozippelii is similar to P. gigantea , a 4-spored species that used to be known as R. zippelii var. gracilis . However, the latter species has smaller basidispores (7–10 (–14) × 4.5–6.5 (–8.5) μ m) ( Giachini 2004). Phaeoclavulina pseudozippelii is also similar to the tropical, 4- spored, P. cokeri , but the latter forms longer spores (9–16 ×4–7.5 μ m) and consists of hyphae without H-connections ( Giachini 2004; Maneevun et al. 2012).

Figures

FIGURE 1 Phylogenetic tree derived from maximum likelihood analysis of 39 sequences of LSU rDNA. Gomphus clavatus was used as the outgroup.The numbers above branches represent maximum likelihood bootstrap percentages (left) and Bayesian posterior probabilities (right). Only bootstrap values ≥ 50 % are shown, and scale bar represents ten substitutions per nucleotide position.The sequences obtained from this study are in bold.

FIGURE 3 Phaeoclavulina pseudozippelii (BBH 43575). A basidiomata, B basidiospores: B1 immature spores; B2 mature spores, C basidia. (scale bars A = 20 mm, B–C = 10 μm).