Morphological And Molecular Identification Of Two New Species Of Phlebiella (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) From Southern China

Two new wood-inhabiting fungal species, Phlebiella gossypina and P. wuliangshanensis spp. nov., are proposed based on a combination of morphological features and molecular characters. Phlebiella gossypina is characterized by annual, resupinate, gossypine to byssaceous basidiomata, a monomitic hyphal system with clamped generative hyphae, heavily encrusted with large crystal among hyphae and subglobose to globose, thin-walled, warted basidiospores measuring 3.3-4.4 x 2.8-4 mu m. Phlebiella wuliangshanensis is characterized by annual, resupinate basidiomata with pruinose to farinaceous to grandinoid hymenial surface, a monomitic hyphal system with clamped generative hyphae and subglobose, thin-walled, warted basidiospores (2.8-3.5 x 2.5-3 mu m). Sequences of ITS gene regions of the studied samples were generated. The phylogenetic analysis based on molecular data of ITS sequences reveled that these two species are nested in the Phlebiella clade and supported the novelty of them.