The Taxonomy And Resources Of Clavariadelphus In China With Notes On A New Record To China Musumecia And A New Species

Species of the genus Clavariadelphus Donk. (Clavariadelphaceae, Gomphales) from China are investigated based on morphology and molecular phylogenetic analyses of fourloci (ITS、nrLSU、tef1-a, and rpb2) DNA sequence. Nine phylogenetic species are recognized among the studied collections. Four of them correspond with the previous morphology-based taxa:C. ligula, C. yunnanensis, C. pakistanensis (new to China) and C. sachalinensis (new to China); four of them are described as new:C. acuminatus J. Zhao & L.P. Tang sp. nov., C. gansuensis J. Zhao & L.P. Tang sp. nov., C. manshuricus J. Zhao, L.P. Tang & P. Zhang sp. nov., and C. microspora J. Zhao, L.P. Tang & Z.W. Ge sp. nov.; the remaining one phylogenetic species is not described due to the paucity of the materials. A key to the morphologically recognizable taxa of Clavariadelphus from China is presented.Among four DNA markers, ITS has the highest probability of successful identification in Clavariadelphus group. By contrast, other markers have inferior species resolution in some close taxa. Such as, nrLSU is difficult to discriminate sibling species, viz, C. pakistanensis and C. sp., C. acuminatus and C. yunnanensis. tef1-a can not differentiate C. acuminatus, C. manshuricus, and C. yunnanensis. Among four gene fragments, rpb2, which has lower PCR amplification and lower sequening success, has the poorest species-level resolution in Clavariadelphus.Chemical color reaction is conducted using seven chemical reagents (5% KOH, 10% FeCl3,10% FeSO4, NH4OH,10% phenol, Melzer’s reagent, and 95% ethanol) in this study. The result shows that species of Clavariadelphus can be distinguished in KOH. Clavariadelphus pakistanicus turns light pink in KOH; C. gansuensis turns cherry-red in KOH; C. acuminatus, C. gansuensis, C. ligula, C. manshuricus, C. microspora, C. sachalinensis, C. yunnanensis, and C. sp. turn yellowish-brown to light brown using KOH.Additionaly, Musumecia Vizzini & Contu, a genus new to China is reported, and the third taxon of the genus, viz. M. alpina L.P. Tang, J Zhao & S.D. Yang sp. nov. from the alpine area of Yunnan, southwestern China, is described. Musumecia alpina has a dark grey, zonate, and fibrous-tomentose pileus with the disc slightly umbonate in age, slightly larger basidiospores with granular decorations on the surface,2-spored basidia, presence of cheilocystidia and pleurocystidia, and abundant clamps.