Fuscoporia indica M. Kaliyaperumal, S. Gunaseelan & K. Kezo, 2025

Gunaseelan, Sugantha, Kezo, Kezhocuyi, Arumugam, Elangovan, Karunarathna, Samantha C., Fahad Al-Arjani, Al-Bandari, Elgorban, Abdallah M., Kumla, Jaturong, Suwannarach, Nakarin, Chukeatirote, Ekachai & Kaliyaperumal, Malarvizhi, 2025, Three new species of Fuscoporia (Hymenochaetales, Basidiomycota) from southern India revealed by morphological and multigene phylogenetic analyses, MycoKeys 125, pp. 147-166 : 147-166

Fuscoporia indica M. Kaliyaperumal, S. Gunaseelan & K. Kezo sp. nov.

Fig. 2

Diagnosis.

Fuscoporia indica is diagnosed by its annual, applanate, dimidiate basidiome with smooth to glabrous, indistinctly zonate pilear surface, homogenous context, the presence of cystidioles, and ellipsoidal, acyanophilic basidiospores.

Holotype.

India • Tamil Nadu, Salem District, Yercaud , on hardwood, 23 January 2018, S. Gunaseelan, HRS-15 A ( holotype MUBL 1104 ). GenBank: PP 390498 ( nrLSU); PV 638735 ( rpb 2); PV 638743 ( tef 1-α) .

Etymology.

Refers to the type locality, “ India.”

Description.

Basidiomes annual, pileate, applanate, sessile to imbricate, soft, to light corky when dry. Pilei dimidiate, convex, projecting up to 4.5 cm long, 7 cm broad, and 1 cm thick at the base. Pileal surface yellowish brown (5 D 8), brown (6 E 6) to dark brown (6 F 8), smooth to glabrous, indistinctly zonate. Margin brown (6 E 5), acute, margin sterile, light brown (6 D 8), 1 mm in thickness. Pore surface light brown (6 D 8) to dark brown (6 F 8). Pores round to angular, 6–8 per mm. Marginal setae absent. Context light brown (6 D 8), homogenous, up to 3 mm in thickness. Tube layer yellowish-brown (6 D 8) to brownish-yellow (5 C 7), hard and corky, with tubes up to 2 mm long.

Hyphal system. Hyphal system dimitic; generative hyphae simple septate; tissue darkening but otherwise unchanged in KOH.

Context. Generative hyphae, hyaline to pale yellow, thin to slightly thick-walled, branched, frequently septate, 2–4 µm; skeletal hyphae dominant, rust-brown, thick-walled with a medium to wide lumen, unbranched, rarely septate, more or less straight, and regularly arranged, 2.2–3.5 µm.

Tubes. Generative hyphae, dominant at the dissepiment edges and subhymenium, thin-walled, frequently branched and septate, hyaline to pale yellow, 1.8–3.4 µm, some encrusted at dissepiment edges and in hymenium; skeletal hyphae dominant, thick-walled with a medium to wide lumen, more or less straight, subparallel along the tubes, yellow to golden yellow, 2–3.2 µm. Hymenial setae subulate to ventricose, acute to acuminate at the apex, encrusted, mostly originating from tramal hyphae, dark brown, thick-walled, 8-39 × 5-8 µm; Cystidioles hyaline to pale yellow in water, fusoid to subulate, rare, tapering at the end, 6–42 × 2.8–7 µm. Basidioles clavate to broadly clavate 6.5–18 × 2.5–6.5 µm. Basidia broadly clavate, hyaline, four sterigmata, 7–17 × 2.8–6.7 µm. Basidiospores ellipsoid, hyaline, thin-walled, smooth, CB -, IKI -, (3.2 –) 3.5–4.5 (– 4.8) × (2.2 –) 2.5–2.9 (– 3.2) µm, Q = 1.5, Q range = 1.3–1.7, (n = 30 / 2).

Distribution.

India ( Tamil Nadu).

Additional specimen examined ( paratype).

India • Tamil Nadu, Salem District, Yercaud ( 11°79'63"N, 78°21'20"E), on hardwood, 23 January 2018, S. Gunaseelan, HRS-15 B. GenBank: PQ 113747 ( nrLSU); PV 638736 ( rpb 2); PV 638744 ( tef 1-α) .

Notes.

The phenetic characters of F. indica and F. licnoides are similar, both having a concentrically zonate, glabrous pileal surface, homogeneous context, and acute margin. However, F. indica differs in having imbricate, dimidiate, convex pilei and smaller basidiospores ( F. indica 3.2–4.8 × 2.2–3.2 μm vs. F. licnoides 4–5 × 2.5–3.5 μm) ( Oliveira and Gibertoni 2023). Fuscoporia indica differs from F. callimorpha in having an imbricate basidiome, convex pilei, smaller pores, and larger hymenial setae ( Dai 2010). Fuscoporia indica , F. senex , and F. torulosa share similar features such as applanate, dimidiate basidiomes with a dimitic hyphal system, the presence of cystidioles, and cyanophilic basidiospores, but F. indica differs in having a glabrous, azonate pilear surface and larger basidiospores. Fuscoporia indica also differs from F. rhabarbarina by the absence of a crust above the context at maturity and, microscopically, by larger basidiospores. In contrast, F. rhabarbarina is identified by the presence of a crust above the context in older specimens and smaller spores (3.2–4.2 × 2–2.5 μm) ( Dai 2010).

Figures

Figure 2. Fuscoporia indica (holotype MUBL 1104). a. Basidiomes; b. Pore surface; c. Transverse section of a basidiome; d. Dissepiment edges and skeletal hyphae; e. Cystidioles; f. Hymenial setae; g. Basidioles; h. Basidia; i. Basidiospores. Scale bars: 5 cm (a, b); 2 cm (c); 5 μm (d – i).