A newly named crust fungus turns up in Chinese forests
Fungal Diversity
The thin, leathery fungal crusts you might overlook on a fallen log in a forest are part of a huge, poorly cataloged group that quietly breaks down wood and recycles nutrients back into the soil.
Researchers found a fungus growing in Yunnan Province, China, that didn't match any known species, so they gave it a name: Vararia subtropica. It forms a tough, crust-like layer on wood, with a cream to buff colored surface and tiny curved spores, and DNA testing confirmed it's a close cousin of another Vararia species found nearby. Discoveries like this fill in gaps in the fungal family tree, showing there's still a lot of hidden diversity in forests we think we already know well.
Key Findings
New species Vararia subtropica described from Yunnan Province, SW China, based on morphology and DNA sequencing
Distinguished by cream to buff hymenial surface and cylindrical to allantoid basidiospores measuring 7.1–11.3 x 2.7–5.2 µm
Phylogenetic analysis (ITS and nLSU sequences, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian methods) places it as sister species to Vararia daweishanensis
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists discovered a new species of fungus in the mountain forests of Yunnan Province, China, adding a previously unknown branch to the fungal tree of life and helping researchers understand how forest-decay fungi are related to one another.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Vararia subtropica sp. nov. (Peniophoraceae, Russulales), a coriaceous fungus from Yunnan Province, SW China
A new species, Vararia subtropica, from Yunnan Province, SW China, is described and illustrated based on morphological characters and phylogenetic analyses. Vararia subtropica is characterized by t...
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