Morphological Characteristics and Molecular Evidence Reveal four New Species of Russula subg. Brevipedum from China

Abstract

In this study, four new species of Russula subg. Brevipedum collected from China are described based on morphological characteristics and molecular evidence. Russula brevispora has a white body whose whole parts often stain brownish-orange or grayish-orange, extremely crowded lamellae with the presence of lamellulae, basidiospores with low warts and an inamyloid suprahilar spot, and clavate or lageniform hymenial cystidia often with a papillary or submoniliform appendage. Russula flavescens is characterized by a white pileus often turning yellowish brown when touched, white lamellae turning brown or light orange, basidiospores with an inamyloid suprahilar spot, and fusiform hymenial cystidia often with an appendage. Russula longicollis is morphologically characterized by a white pileus, turning grayish orange when bruised, white lamellae turning pale yellow when bruised, basidiospores with isolated warts and an amyloid suprahilar spot, and fusiform hymenial cystidia usually with a long appendage. Russula pseudojaponica has a yellowish-brown pileus center, yellowish lamellae unchanging when bruised, basidiospores with low warts and an inamyloid suprahilar spot, clavate hymenial cystidia often with a papillary appendage, and clavate pileocystidia with granulose contents. Phylogenetic analyses showed that R. flavescens, R. brevispora, and R. pseudojaponica are members of the subsect. Pallidosporinae, whereas R. longicollis belongs to subsect. Lactarioideae, and is somewhat related to R. leucocarpa.

Species of Russula subgenera Archaeae, Compactae and Brevipedum (Russulaceae, Basidiomycota) from Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve

“…During the revision process of our paper, Chen et al (2023) published several new species in subgenus Brevipedum, but these authors unfortunately added a lot of confusion by publishing incongruent sequence data for ITS and LSU for their new species. Indeed, whereas ITS sequences for their new R. brevispora Y.L.Chen & J.F.Liang, are more than 99.8% similar to those of our specimens identified here as R. japonica, their LSU sequences are merely 98.7% similar to both the original Japanese and our own sequences for R. japonica.…”

Mushroom Poisoning Outbreaks — China, 2023

“…Among these species, 12 were newly discovered as poisonous in China (Supplementary Table S1. Specifically, Collybia subtropica , Russula brevispora , R. flavescens , and R. pseudojaponica were four newly described species in China in 2023 ( 5 - 6 ). Collybia subtropica contained muscarine and caused stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system, while the last three species caused gastroenteritis.…”