Ganoderma applanatum var. laevisporum C.J. Humphrey & Leus-Palo, Philipp. J. Sci. 45(4): 533 (1931)

Mardones, Melissa, Carranza-Velazquez, Julieta, Mata-Hidalgo, Milagro, Amador-Fernandez, Xaviera & Urbina, Hector, 2023, Taxonomy and phylogeny of the genus Ganoderma (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) in Costa Rica, MycoKeys 100, pp. 5-47 : 5

Ganoderma applanatum var. laevisporum C.J. Humphrey & Leus-Palo, Philipp. J. Sci. 45(4): 533 (1931)

Discussion.

During the examination of G. applanatum specimens from Costa Rica, we found four relatively old specimens (JCV16-95, Navarro 8458, Navarro 3699, USJ109859) that agreed with the description of G. applanatum var. laevisporum ( Humphrey and Leus 1931; Wang et al. 2009). This species has been reported for Java, Philippines and mainland China. It is characterised by its sessile basidioma with a dull upper surface and the basidiospores with smooth wall. According to Wang et al. (2009), the species is distributed at higher elevations in the Tropics, matching with our records, since our specimens were collected above 1800 m a.s.l. The basidiospore size of our specimens (9-11 × 6-7 μm) agree with those reported by Humphrey and Leus (1931, 9.3-10.3(-10.8) × 5.4-5.9(-6.4) μm) and Wang et al. (2009, 9.2-10.5 × 5.5-6.5 μm). According to Steyaert (1972), G. applanatum var. laevisporum is a synonym of G. tornatum (for a complete discussion on this topic, see Wang et al. (2009)). As we only examined four relatively old specimens, have been unable to examine the holotype and it was not possible to obtain DNA or pure cultures from them, this species is excluded from our taxonomic analysis until more specimens and molecular data are available to confirm its presence in Costa Rica.

Specimens examined.

Costa Rica. Alajuela: Grecia, Reserva Forestal Grecia, Bosque del Niño, sendero al acueducto, 26 June 2006, 10°8'34.62"N, 84°14'45.3"W, 1800-1900 m elev., J. Carranza JCV16-95 ( USJ64962 ). Puntarenas: Buenos Aires, Parque Nacional La Amistad , Estación Altamira, sendero al Cerro Biolley, 9°02'21.6"N, 83°00'35.9"W, 1700-1800 m elev., 20 Jul 2004, E. Navarro 8458 (CR3866211); Estación Pittier, Sendero a Cerro Gemelo, 9°02'24.5"N, 82°57'39.9"W, 1800-1900 m elev., 18 Aug 2001, E. Navarro 3699 (CR3459327). San José: Dota, San Gerardo, Albergue de montaña Saavegre, 9°33'2.08"N, 83°48'26.31"W, 2000-2300 m elev., 09 Nov 2001, s.n. (USJ109859) .