Bioacoustics of Phaeolus sharmae

NOTES During fungal forays to the North district of Sikkim in 2018 and 2019, three of us (KD, MEH and AP) repeatedly came across populations of an unknown species growing on bark of standing trees of Abies densa . This species is quite distinct based on phylogenetic analyses including obtained ITS & LSU sequences that place it sister to Phaeolus schweinitzii , a species widely distributed in the northern hemisphere ( Gilbertson & Ryvarden 1987 ; Ryvarden & Gilbertson 1994 ; Núñez & Ryvarden 2001 ; Sharma 2012 ; Prasher 2015 ). Within Polyporales , species of Phaeolus (Pat.) Pat. are easily confused with various xanthochoric polypores but the genus is phylogenetically distinct and causes a brown rot. Within family Laetiporaceae , Phaeolus can be separated from Laetiporus Murrill and Wolfiporia Ryvarden & Gilb. because these lack gloeoplerous elements. Also Inonotus hispidus (Bull.) P. Karst. , which lacks hymenial setae and forms lightweight, brittle basidiocarps with a strongly hispid pileus surface and large hymenial pores, may resemble our species in the field. Yet, it equally lacks gloeoplerous elements in context and hymenium. GenBank accession no. Species name Specimen no. nrITS nrLSU Reference Amyloporia carbonica Cui 12212 KR605816 KR605755 Han et al . 2015 A . xantha Cui 11544 KR605817 KR605756 Han et al . 2015 A . xantha Cui 11677 KR605818 KR605757 Han et al . 2015 Antrodia heteromorpha Dai 12742 KP715319 – Chen & Cui 2015 A . serpens Dai 7465 KR605813 KR605752 Han et al . 2015 A . tanakae Cui 9743 KR605814 KR605753 Han et al . 2015 A . tanakae Dai 11770 KR605815 KR605754 Han et al . 2015 A . tanakae Yuan 1160 KP715313 KP715329 Han et al . 2015 Coriolopsis polyzona Cui 11040 KR605824 KR605767 Han et al . 2015 Crustoderma dryinum FP-105487-Sp KC585321 KC585145 Ortiz-Santana et al . 2013 C . dryinum HBB-1290-Sp KC585321 KC585146 Ortiz-Santana et al . 2013 Dacryobolus sudans FP-100190-Sp KC585332 KC585157 Ortiz-Santana et al . 2013 D . sudans FP-150381-Sp KC585333 KC585158 Ortiz-Santana et al . 2013 Fibroporia albicans Cui 9464 KC456250 KR605758 Chen et al . 2015 F . albicans Dai 10595 KC456249 KR605759 Chen et al . 2015 F . radiculosa Cui 2790 KC456248 KR605761 Chen et al . 2015 F . radiculosa Cui 11404 KP145011 KR605760 Chen et al . 2015 Laetiporus sulphureus Dai 12154 KF951295 KF951302 Song et al . 2014 L . sulphureus Dai 12826 KR605819 KR605762 Han et al . 2015 Laricifomes officinalis JV 0309 KR605821 KR605764 Han et al . 2015 L . officinalis JV 9010 KR605822 KR605765 Han et al . 2015 Phaeolus schweinitzii DA-38 EU402585 – Lindner & Banik 2008 P . schweinitzii CLZhao 117 MH114833 – GenBank P . schweinitzii CBS 246.28 MH855001 – GenBank P . schweinitzii FP-102447-Sp KC585368 KC585197 Ortiz-Santana et al . 2013 P . schweinitzii FP-133218-Sp KC585369 KC585198 Ortiz-Santana et al . 2013 P . schweinitzii OKM-4435-T KC585370 KC585199 Ortiz-Santana et al . 2013 P . sharmae sp. nov. KMA-19-014 MT762941 MT764209 In this study P . sharmae sp. nov. KMA-19-026 MT762940 MT764236 In this study Piptoporellus soloniensis Cui 11386 KR605802 KR605741 Han et al . 2015 P . soloniensis Cui 11390 KR605803 KR605742 Han et al . 2015 P . soloniensis LY BR 5463 KR605805 KR605744 Han et al . 2015 P . hainanensis Dai 13714 KR605806 KR605745 Han et al . 2015 P . triqueter Dai 13121 KR605807 KR605746 Han et al . 2015 Postia duplicata Cui 10366 KF699124 KJ684975 Shen et al . 2015 P . duplicata Dai 13411 KF699125 KJ684976 Shen et al . 2015 Pycnoporellus fulgens CA-20 KC585385 KC585218 Ortiz-Santana et al . 2013 P . fulgens FP-105487-Sp KC585386 KC585219 Ortiz-Santana et al . 2013 Wolfiporia dilatohypha CS-63-59-13-A-R KC585400 KC585234 Ortiz-Santana et al . 2013 W . dilatohypha FP-72162-R EU402556 KC585235 Ortiz-Santana et al . 2013 Phaeolus harbours six species, half of these described by Patouillard, from which P . sharmae sp. nov. can be distinguished by its combination of having broadly attached basidiomata with rough pilear surface forming irregular papillae, a shiny pinkish orange young hymenophore and larger basidia and basidiospores. Berkley’s (1845) , Léveillé’s (1844) and Patouillard’s (1900) descriptions for P . tabulaeformis (Berk.) Pat. , P . javanicus (Pat.) Henn. , and the description of P . rigidus (Lév.) Pat. lack microscopic details to compare these with our species. Moreover, P . tabulaeformis has been considered as synonym of P . schweinitzii ( Overholts 1953 ; Bakshi 1971 ). The African Phaeolus manihotis R. Heim has stipitate (6-7 × 3-4 mm ) basidiomata and minute basidia (11-14 × 6-8 µm) and smaller spores (5.5-7 × 3.2-4.3µm) ( Heim 1931 ). The medium sized (up to 60 × 50 × 10 mm ), laterally stipitate (40 × 20 mm ) basidiomata with whitish yellow context and smaller basidiospores (5-6 × 4-4.3 µm) of P . amazonica M. A. De Jesus & Ryvarden ( De Jesus & Ryvarden 2010 ) separate it from our novel species, while P . subbulbipes (Henn.) O. Fidalgo & M. Fidalgo possesses much smaller spores (3.5-4 µm). In our combined (nrITS+nrLSU) phylogenetic analysis ( Fig. 1 ), our species appeared as sister to the American, European and Asian samples of P. schweinitzii (Fr.) Pat. But P. sharmae sp. nov. always occupies upper parts of living tree trunks and branches rather than growing on the ground or on bases of trees as found in P. schweinitzii ( Overholts 1953 ; Gilbertson & Ryvarden 1987 ; Zhao & Zhang 1992 ; Sharma 2012 ). The distinctly shiny pinkish orange hymenophore that changes on bruising, observed in young specimens of our species, is also worth mentioning, along with its non-decurrent tubes attached to a duplex context, thus clearly distinguishing it from P. schweinitzii ( Overholts 1953 ; Ryvarden & Gilbertson 1994 ; Sharma 2012 ; Ryvarden & Melo 2014 ) where context is homogeneous and continuous with tube layer. Microscopically, the larger basidiospores (6-11 × 6-7.8 µm) and basidia (16-53 × 7-12 µm) distinguish our species from P.schweinitzii (usually with spores 5.5-9 × 2-5.6 µm and basidia 20-30 × 6-8 µm) known from India and abroad ( Overholts 1953 ; Bakshi 1971 ; Ryvarden & Johansen 1980 ; Gilbertson & Ryvarden 1987 ; Zhao & Zhang 1992 ; Ryvarden & Gilbertson 1994 ; Sharma 2012 ; Ryvarden & Melo 2014 ). Another Indian report of P. schweinitzii made by Prasher (2015) from Shimla Himachal Pradesh should be recollected and re-examined under the light of phylogenetic estimations as sizes of basidiospores (6-11.5 × 4-6.8 µm) and clavate basidia (12.4-15.3 × 5-6.8 µm) are deviating from report of similar kind of standard Indian and extralimital materials ( Overholts 1953 ; Bakshi 1971 ; Ryvarden & Johansen 1980 ; Gilbertson & Ryvarden 1987 ; Zhao & Zhang 1992 ; Ryvarden & Gilbertson 1994 ; Sharma 2012 ; Ryvarden & Melo 2014 ).