Flora of Lichenicolous Fungi, Vol. 1, Basidiomycota

Abstract

This first volume of a worldwide Flora of Lichenicolous Fungi deals with the Basidiomycota. A total of 197 species are accepted, described, illustrated and keyed out, and 13 additional species are shortly introduced but not formally described. They belong to the Agaricomycetes (4 species in 2 genera of Agaricales, 2 – 1 Atheliales, 1 – 1 Boletales, 11 – 8 Cantharellales, 12 – 5 Corticiales) and the Tremellomycetes (8 – 1 Filobasidiales, 129 – 3 Tremellales) in the Agaricomycotina, and to the Agaricostilbomycetes (18 – 1 Agaricostilbales), Cystobasidiomycetes (9 – 1 Cyphobasidiales) and Microbotryomycetes (1 – 1 Kriegeriaceae) in the Pucciniomycotina, while 2 species incertae sedis are provisionally treated in ‘Syzygospora’. The species of Agaricomycetes belong to the informal group of homobasidiomycetes and are mainly generalists, while the species of Tremellomycetes, Agaricostilbomycetes, Cystobasidiomycetes, Microbotryomycetes and ‘Syzygospora’ belong to the heterobasidiomycetes and are all host-specific. Three new genera, 74 new species, 1 new subspecies, and 3 new combinations are introduced. Phylogenetic trees are given for each taxonomic group, some being obtained from previous papers, while most are based on new phylogenetic results, based on hundreds of new DNA sequences obtained during the preparation of this volume. The former Biatoropsis usnearum, Syzygospora physciacearum, Tremella parmeliarum and T. pertusariae are regarded as species complexes, including many newly described species, while some other species complexes, especially Cyphobasidium hypotrachynicola, C. usneicola, Tremella caloplacae, T. lobariacearum and T. ramalinae need further studies. Six new species of Biatoropsis or Tremella have basidia producing conidia instead of basidiospores, one new Tremella species has deciduous epibasidia acting as diaspores, and four new asexual taxa of Tremella have a layer of conidiogenous cells producing clamped conidia. Six types of host-specific galls resembling Tremella basidiomata, but probably induced by bacteria, are briefly described and included in the host-based key.