Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2024 | 16(12): 26272–26282
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online)
| ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9322.16.12.26272-26282
#9322 | Received 21 July
2024 | Final received 25 November 2024 | Finally accepted 09 December 2024
Six new reports of corticioid fungi from India
Poonam 1, Avneet Pal Singh 2 & Gurpaul
Singh Dhingra 3
1 Department of Botany,
Government Post Graduate College, Chamba, Himachal
Pradesh 176314, India.
2,3 Department of Botany,
Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab 147002, India.
1 poonamriddham777@gmail.com,
2 avneetbot@gmail.com (corresponding author), 3 dhingragurpaul@gmail.com
Editor: Kiran R. Ranadive, Annasaheb
Magar Mahavidyalaya, Hadapsar, India. Date
of publication: 26 December 2024 (online & print)
Citation: Poonam, A.P. Singh & G.S. Dhingra (2024). Six new reports of corticioid
fungi from India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 16(12):
26272–26282. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9322.16.12.26272-26282
Copyright: © Poonam et al. 2024. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: The authors are thankful to University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi and SERB, DST, New Delhi financial
assistance under SAP DSA Level-1 programme.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Author details: Dr. Poonam is currently working as assistant professor, Department of Botany, Government Post Graduate College, Chamba (Himachal Pradesh). She has worked on the taxonomy of corticioid fungi from district Chamba for hes PhD research work. He has thoroughly surveyed district Kullu and collected 486 specimens of the corticioid fungi. She has described and illustrated 191 taxa including 20 new records for India and 43 first reports for Himachal Pradesh. Dr. Avneet Pal Singh, assistant professor, Department of Botany, Punjabi University, Patiala is a mycologist and works on the taxonomy, histo-pathology and evaluation of corticioid and polyporoid fungi (Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota). He actively engaged in the research work for more than two decades and has published about eighty research papers describing nearly three hundred and ten taxa based on morphological and DNA sequence based molecular phylogenetic studies. He has to his credit two new genera and twenty two new species of corticioid and poroid fungi. Dr. Gurpaul Singh Dhingra retired as professor from Department of Botany, Punjabi University, Patiala (Punjab) and has more than three decades of teaching and research experience. His area of specialization is mycology and plant pathology with special interest in corticioid and poroid fungi. He and has described large number of new genera and species of these fungi form different parts of India. He has worked on the antidiabetic, CNS and anticancer activity of medicinally important poroid fungi.
Author contributions: Poonam has thoroughly surveyed the study area and collected the corticioid specimens. She has worked out the morphological details of the collected specimens and prepared the standard descriptions along with illustrations. Avneet Pal Singh has explored the taxonomic literature for identity of the worked out specimens and identified the worked out specimens. He has also contributed to the draft of manuscript and photography of the specimens described presently. Dr. Gurpaul Singh Dhingra is an expert in the field
of taxonomy of corticioid fungi and confirmed the identification. He critically analyzed the draft and made valuable suggestions.
Acknowledgements: The authors are
thankful to Head, Department of Botany, Punjabi University, Patiala for
providing necessary laboratory facilities and University Grants Commission, New
Delhi for financial assistance under SAP DSA Level-1 programme.
Abstract: The objective of the
present paper is to describe and illustrate six species of corticioid
fungi collected from four tehsils of the Chamba
District of Himachal Pradesh (India). The described species, Brevicellicium exile (H.S.Jacks.) K.H.Larss.
& Hjortstam, Kurtia
magnargillacea (Boidin
& Gilles) Karasiński, Physodontia lundellii
Ryvarden & H.Solheim,
Rhizochaete violascens
(Fr.) K.H.Larss., Sistotrema
coroniferum (Höhn.
& Litsch.) D.P.Rogers & H.S.Jacks,
and Tubulicrinis cinctus
G.Cunn. are new additions to corticioid fungi reported from India.
Keywords: Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota,
diversity, northwestern Himalaya, taxonomy.
INTRODUCTION
Corticioid fungi are a group of higher fungi
(Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes) that mostly grow in association with
different forms of wood substrate. These are also referred to as crust fungi
because of the formation of macroscopic sporophores
with unilateral hymenium that are mostly resupinate or sheet-like. The hymenial surface is usually smooth, occasionally varies
from tuberculate, ridged, warted, toothed, to
merulioid. The colour of the hymenophore mostly
ranges from whitish to shades of grey, yellow, orange, red, or brown. The sporophores are quite diverse with reference to hyphal
type, ancillary structures, shape and size of basidia and basiodiospores.
On the basis of morphological features most of corticioid
fungi were earlier placed in the family Corticiaceae
(Aphyllophorales). The molecular phylogenetic studies
indicated the family to be an unnatural group. Hence, these fungi have been
currently distributed into twelve orders of the class Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycotina, Basidiomycota).
Corticioids are ecologically significant because of their
role in the recycling of wood and agricultural residues. These
fungi breakdown different kinds of organic matter, decompose soil
components and regulate the balance of carbon and other nutrients for
maintaining soil health (Tong et al. 2022). The members of corticioid
fungi have ability to produce extracellular enzymes and actively transform
carbon and other nutrients, water, and oxygen along a highly branching hyphal
network (Boddy 1991; Cragg et al. 2015). The
secretion of lignin or cellulose decaying enzymes makes this group capable of
colonizing different types of wood in a forest ecosystem and are responsible
for white or brown rot, respectively.
Four tehsils of the Chamba District (Himachal Pradesh, India) were thoroughly
surveyed for the collection of sporophore specimens
of corticioid fungi. These were identified as Brevicellicium exile (H.S. Jacks.) K.H.Larss. & Hjortstam, Kurtia magnargillacea (Boidin &
Gilles) Karasiński, Physodontia
lundellii Ryvarden
& H.Solheim, Rhizochaete violascens
(Fr.) K.H.Larss., Sistotrema
coroniferum (Höhn.
& Litsch.) D.P.Rogers & H.S.Jacks,
and Tubulicrinis cinctus
G.Cunn. on the basis of macroscopic and
microscopic features and their comparison with the published literature
(Eriksson & Ryvarden 1973; Eriksson et al. 1981,
1984; Hjortstam et al. 1988; Boidin
et al. 1991; Bernicchia & Gorjón
2010; Hakimi et al. 2013; Manoharachary et al. 2022; fungifromindia.com
2024; Mycobank 2024). The species documented
presently are new records for India.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
During the years
2013–2018, extensive fungal excursions were carried out in four tehsils of the Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh (India) for the purpose
of gathering sporpohore specimens of corticioid fungi. The sporophores
were gently separated from the substrate using a chisel and hammer. All the
collected specimens were thoroughly cleaned and dried either in sun or on an
electric drier. The macroscopic characteristics of the sporophores
were observed and noted with the help of a hand lens. Kornerup
& Wanscher (1978) was referred for the colour citation. The microscopic features were examined by
preparing crush mounts and free-hand cut sections in 3%, 5%, and 10% potassium
hydroxide (KOH) solution. The microscopic preparations were stained in cotton
blue (1% in lactophenol), congo red (1% in distilled
water), phloxine (1% in distilled water), and
Melzer’s reagent (0.5 g iodine, 1.5 g potassium iodide, 20 g chloral hydrate
and 20 ml distilled water). Details of the microscopic structures were outlined
as line diagrams using a camera lucida at different
magnifications (100x, 400x, and 1,000x) of the compound microscope. Taxonomic
descriptions comprising the macro and microscopic features were prepared and
subsequently compared with the literature for identification. The specimens of
these corticioid species were deposited in the
Herbarium, Department of Botany at Punjabi University, Patiala (PUN).
RESULTS
Brevicellicium exile (H.S.Jacks.) K.H.Larss.
& Hjortstam, Mycotaxon
7(1): 118 (1978). (Image 1)
Corticium exile H.S.Jacks., Canadian Journal of Research 28(6): 721
(1950).
Sporophore resupinate, effused, adnate, ≤160 µm thick in
section; hymenial surface smooth both in fresh and
dry state; yellowish white to pale yellow both in fresh and dry state; margins
fibrillose, paler concolorous when determinate.
Hyphal system monomitic. Generative hyphae subhyaline, septate, clamped,
smooth, thin-walled; subicular hyphae
horizontal, ≤2.5 µm wide, less branched; subhymenial
hyphae vertical, ≤4.5 µm wide, richly branched, almost isodiametric. Sphaerocysts spherical, 10– 12 × 6– 7 µm,
thin-walled, with basal clamp. Basidia cylindrical, 11– 13 × 5.5– 6.7
µm, basally clamped, four sterigmate; sterigma ≤ 5 µm
long. Basidiospores ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid, distinctly
apiculate, 4.5–5.5 × 2.8–3.5 µm, thin-walled, smooth, acyanophilous,
inamyloid, with oily contents.
Collection examined: India, Himachal
Pradesh: Chamba, Dalhousie, Jandrighat,
on stump of Cedrus deodara,
Poonam 9198 (PUN), 05 November 2013.
Remarks: Brevicellicium
exile is peculiar in having smooth hymenial
surface, basally clamped sphaerocysts and ellipsoid
to broadly ellipsoid basidiospores. Brevicellicium
olivascens (Bres.) K.H.Larss. & Hjortstam differs in having grandinioid
to slightly hydnoid hymenophore and subglobose to somewhat angular basidiospores (Bernicchia & Gorjón, 2010).
Earlier it has been reported from Belgium, France, United Kingdom, Sweden,
Italy, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Spain (Mycobank
2024).
Kurtia magnargillacea
(Boidin & Gilles) Karasiński,
Index Fungorum 141: 1 (2014). (Image 2)
Hyphoderma magnargillaceum Boidin
& Gilles, Cryptogamie Mycologie
12(2): 113 (1991).
Sporophore resupinate, effused, adnate, ≤200 µm thick in
section; hymenial surface smooth both in fresh and
dry state; yellowish white to greyish-yellow both in fresh and dry state; margins
fibrillose, paler concolorous when determinate.
Hyphal system monomitic. Generative hyphae ≤3 µm wide, subhyaline,
septate, clamped, thin-walled, smooth; subicular
hyphae horizontal, less branched; subhymenial hyphae
vertical, richly branched. Cystidia subfusiform,
basally widened, narrowing towards apex, 122–135 × 12–14 µm, thin-walled,
with basal clamp, with resinous deposits at the tip; projecting ≤40 µm out of
the hymenium. Basidia clavate to subclavate, with suburniform constriction to sinuous, 23–31 × 6–7.2 µm,
basally clamped, with oily contents, four sterigmate;
sterigma ≤5 µm long. Basidiospores subcylindrical to ellipsoid to broadly
ellipsoid, distinctly apiculate, 7.2–12 × 3.8–6.2 µm, thin-walled, smooth, acyanophilous, inamyloid, with oily contents.
Collection examined: India, Himachal
Pradesh: Chamba, Bharmour,
Holi, on a dried branch of Picea smithiana, Poonam 10101 (PUN), 23 August 2015.
Remarks: Kurtia magnargillacea is characteristic of
having subfusiform cystidia with resinous deposits at
the tip and subcylindrical to ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid basidiospores. Hyphoderma argillaceum (Bres.) Donk differs from K. magnargillacea
in having comparatively smaller basidiospores. Earlier, it had been
described only from France (Boidin & Gilles 1991;
Mycobank 2024).
Physodontia lundellii Ryvarden
& H.Solheim, Mycotaxon 6(2): 375 (1977). (Image 3)
Sporophore resupinate, effused, adnate, soft, ceraceous, ≤280 µm thick in section; hymenial
surface grandinioid to hydnoid
both in fresh and dry state; yellowish-white to greyish-yellow when fresh,
yellowish-white to light yellow on drying; margins fimbriate, paler concolorous
when determinate.
Hyphal system monomitic. Generative hyphae subhyaline, septate, clamped,
smooth; subicular hyphae horizontal,
≤4.5 µm wide, less branched, thin- to thick-walled, sometimes with ampullate septa; subhymenial
hyphae vertical, ≤2.8 µm wide, richly branched, thin-walled. Ancillary elements of
two kinds. Gloeocystidia shape variable, usually
oblong to clavate to sometimes with a narrow, terminal protuberance, 16–36 ×
8–10 µm, frequent in the hymenium, subhymenium, and trama of the aculei, with basal
clamp, thin-walled, oily contents not stained in sulphovanillin.
Cystidia subulate to subfusiform, 38–52 ×
6.3–7.5µm, thin-walled, basally clamped, without oily contents; projecting ≤10
µm out of the hymenium. Basidia clavate to subclavate,
12–15 × 4.5–6 µm, basally clamped, four sterigmate;
sterigma ≤3 µm long. Basidiospores ellipsoid to broadly
ellipsoid, distinctly apiculate, 3.6–5 × 2.7–3.6 µm, thin-walled, smooth, acyanophilous, inamyloid.
Collections examined: India, Himachal
Pradesh: Chamba, Udaipur, Chihma,
on sticks of Pinus roxburghii, Poonam 10100
(PUN), 6 September 2018.
Remarks: The genus Physodontia is described only on the basis of
P. lundellii which is peculiar in having grandinioid to hydnoid hymenial surface, two types of cystidial
elements and ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid basidiospores. Earlier it has been
reported from Sweden, Finland, and Norway (Mycobank
2024).
Rhizochaete violascens
(Fr.) K.H.Larss.,
Nova Hedwigia 103(3–4): 562 (2016). (Image
4)
Himantia violascens Fr., Observationes mycologicae 1: 211
(1815)
Sporophore resupinate, effused, loosely adnate,
pellicular, ≤500 µm thick in section; hymenial
surface smooth to cracked, turns reddish violet on putting 3% KOH solution;
orange white to greyish orange when fresh, pale orange to greyish-orange to
brownish-orange on drying; margins fibrillose due to presence of rhizomorphs,
paler concolorous.
Hyphal system monomitic. Generative hyphae subhyaline, septate, clamped,
thin-walled; subicular hyphae horizontal, ≤5 µm wide,
less branched, encrusted with crystalline encrustation, subiculum light brown
but turns reddish-violet in 3% KOH solution; subhymenial
hyphae vertical, ≤3 µm wide, richly branched, smooth in the subhymenial
zone. Rhizomorphs usually unbranched, ≤22 µm wide.
Individual hyphae ≤3.3 µm wide, septate, clamped. Basidia clavate,
20–24 × 4.5–6.5 μm, basally clamped, four sterigmate; sterigma ≤4.2 µm long. Basidiospores ellipsoid,
distinctly apiculate, 5.5–7.5 × 2.4–3.4 µm, thin-walled, smooth, acyanophilous, inamyloid.
Collection examined: India, Himachal
Pradesh, Chamba, Churah,
Bhandal, on the stump of Picea smithiana, 10103 (PUN), 15 August 2014.
Remarks: Rhizochaete violascens is characteristic in
having smooth to cracked hymenial surface, unbranched
rhizomorphs, and ellipsoid basidiospores. It differs from the rest of
the species of the genus Rhizochaete in
lacking cystidial elements. The previous reports of R.
violascens are from Belarus, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Netherland, Russia, Spain, and
Switzerland (Mycobank 2024).
Sistotrema coroniferum (Höhn.
& Litsch.) D.P.Rogers & H.S.Jacks., Farlowia 1(2): 282 (1943). (Image 5)
Gloeocystidium coroniferum Höhn.
& Litsch., Sitzungsberichte
der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Math.-naturw. Klasse Abt. I 116: 825 (1907).
Sporophore resupinate, effused, loosely adnate,
pellicular, ≤200 µm thick in section; hymenial
surface smooth to tuberculate both in fresh and dry state; greyish-white to
yellowish-white when fresh, yellowish-white to greyish-yellow on drying;
margins pruinose, paler concolorous when determinate.
Hyphal system monomitic. Generative hyphae subhyaline, septate, clamped,
smooth, with oily contents; subicular hyphae
horizontal, ≤5 µm wide, less branched, thick-walled; subhymenial
hyphae vertical, ≤4 µm wide, occasionally with ampullate
septa, richly branched, thin-walled. Gloeocystidia
subcylindrical, flexuose, 48–66 × 5.5–6.6 µm, with
basal clamp, smooth, thin-walled, oily contents not stained in sulfovanillin; projecting ≤20 µm out of the hymenium.
Basidia suburniform to urniform,
14–22 × 5.5–6.1 µm, basally clamped, six sterigmate;
sterigma ≤4 µm long. Basidiospores suballantoid
to allantoid, distinctly apiculate, 5.5–7.8 × 2.2–3.4 µm, thin-walled, smooth, acyanophilous, inamyloid.
Collections examined: India, Himachal
Pradesh: Chamba; Hardaspura
colony, on stump of Populus ciliata, Poonam 9203 (PUN), 4 November 2015; Hardaspura colony, on stump of Populus
ciliata, Poonam 10107 (PUN), 4 November 2015.
Remarks: Sistotrema coroniferum is peculiar in
having six sterigmate basidia, suballantoid
to allantoid basidiospores along with subcylindrical flexuose
gloeocystidia. Sistotrema
sernanderi (Litsch.)
Donk differs in having four sterigmate basidia and
subcylindrical to suballantoid basidiospores. It has
been earlier reported from Austria, Caucasus, Germany, Estonia, France,
Slovakia, United Kingdom, Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland,
Finland, and Spain (Mycobank 2024).
Tubulicrinis cinctus
G.Cunn., Bulletin of the
New Zealand Department of Industrial Research 145: 332 (1963) (Image 6)
Sporophore resupinate, effused, adnate, ≤200 µm thick in
section; hymenial surface smooth both in fresh and
dry state; yellowish-grey to grey when fresh, pale yellow to greyish-yellow on
drying; margins fibrillose, paler concolorous when determinate.
Hyphal system monomitic. Generative hyphae subhyaline, septate, clamped,
smooth; subicular hyphae horizontal, ≤3.2 µm wide,
thin- to thick-walled, less branched; subhymenial hyphae
vertical, ≤ 2.4 µm wide, richly branched, thin-walled. Lyocystidia cylindrical, 61–89 × 8–10 µm, with
rooting base, lumen narrow, capillary ending abruptly into a widened
thin-walled apex, with basal clamp, encrusted with crystalline deposits at the apex
that dissolve in 3% KOH solution, slightly amyloid. Basidia clavate, 12–22 ×
5.6–7.2 µm, somewhat stalked, constricted, basally clamped, four sterigmate; sterigma ≤4 µm long. Basidiospores 4.8–6.4
× 3.2–4.8 µm, subglobose, distinctly apiculate,
thin-walled, smooth, acyanophilous, inamyloid.
Collections examined: India, Himachal
Pradesh: Chamba, Churah,
Bhandal, on stump of Pinus wallichiana, Poonam
10106 (PUN), 15 August 2014; Churah, Bhandal, on
stump of Pinus wallichiana, Poonam 10752
(PUN), 15 August 2014.
Remarks: Tubulicrinis
cinctus, a new report of corticioid
fungi from India, is peculiar in having cylindrical, rooted, lyocystidia with crystalline encrustation at the apex and
subglobose basidiospores. Tubulicrinis
globisporus K.H. Larss.
& Hjortstam is different in having
comparatively larger and strongly amyloid cystidia (Hjortstam
et al. 1988). The previous reports are from Russia, Caucasus, Sweden,
Norway, and Turkey (Mycobank 2024).
CONCLUSIONS
During the course of present studies, six corticioid species have been added to the account of corticioid fungi from India. Of these, the genus Physodontia has been recorded for the first time
from India. These six species have been described on the basis of morphological
features. In the future attempt will be made to supplement the comprehensive
morphological observations with DNA sequence based molecular phylogenetic
analysis. The polyphasic approach would definitely authenticate the morphology based identification and may also form the basis
for the proposal of some novel taxa.
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