No abstract

Cantharellus is a well-known genus of edible mushrooms, belonging to the family Hydnaceae in the class Agaricomycetes. In this study, a phylogenetic overview of Cantharellus subg. Cinnabarinus and C. subg. Parvocantharellus in China is carried out with the description of four new species. Species description are based on morphological characters of basidiomata and phylogenetic analyses of multi-locus dataset of 28S + tef1 + rpb2. Among the new species, two species, C. chrysanthus and C. sinocinnabarinus, belong to C. subg. Cinnabarinus and two new species, C. convexus and C. neopersicinus, belong to C. subg. Parvocantharellus. Species delimitation characters of the new taxa are compared with closely related species. In addition, three new records of Cantharellus are reported for China: C. albovenosus and C. citrinus of subg. Cinnabarinus and C. koreanus of subg. Parvocantharellus. A key to the species of subg. Cinnabarinus in China was provided.

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.

Two new species of Phaeoclavulina (Gomphaceae, Gompales, Basidiomycota) from Hunan Province, China are distinguished on the basis of the morphological characters and molecular phylogenetic analyses. Phaeoclavulina aeruginea is characterized by basidiomata ramarioid, repeatedly branched, stipe yellowish brown, copper-green and blunt branch tips, and the context, turning wine red when bruised or exposed. Phaeoclavulina cinnamomea produces the cinnamon basidiomata, crowded branches, and large basidiospores with truncate (volcanic) spines, which is particularly rare in Phaeoclavulina. The two species are illustrated by drawings and photographs, including scanning electron micrographs. Their taxonomic distinctness was supported by the phylogenetic analyses of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and nuclear ribosomal large subunit (nrLSU) sequence data. The ITS and nrLSU sequences newly generated in this study were deposited in GenBank. A key to Phaeoclavulina species in China is provided.

Huotanjun (Burnt Charcoal Mushroom) is a group of edible mushrooms widely hunted and eaten in southern China. Taxonomically they belong to Russula sect. Nigricantinae. Confusion with the fatal R. subnigricans cause many poisoning incidents in Asia. For a long time, European names were used in Asia but the Asian genotypes are not the same as European species. We studied specimens collected from markets and the field in southern China. Analysis of four DNA loci (ITS, nc LSU, TEF1-α, RPB2) showed that except for a specimen of R. adusta from subalpine Abies forest in southwestern China, all the specimens represent species different from European and North American ones, suggesting prevalent continental endemism in this group. Four new species were described. Among them R. sinoadusta and R. zhuzuijun are Asian counterparts of R. adusta; R. brunneocystidia and R. huotanjun are closely related with European R. densifolia and R. fuliginosa. These species are highly similar to their European siblings and the morphological differences are very subtle. Using multi-locus data, for the first time, we determined the phylogenetic position of R. subnigricans. It was nested in R. sect. Nigricantinae and sister to R. latolamellata, a species also having distant lamellae and only reddening context. Geographically except for R. sinoadusta known only from China, all species are shared by China and Japan. We analyzed presence/absence of the diagnostic toxin of R. subnigricans cycloprop-2-ene carboxylic acid for 12 species and did not detect the polymeric products in any of them but R. subnigricans. Nevertheless, considering several potentially edible species also have spaced lamellae and only reddening discolouration which can be easily confused with R. subnigricans, we strongly recommend to only eat species with decidedly blackening context and gills.