Skip to main content

Brownish yellow false truffle (Truncocolumella pseudocolumella), new species for science from China

Dlium Brownish yellow false truffle (Truncocolumella pseudocolumella), new species for science from China

NEWS - Brownish yellow false truffle (Truncocolumella pseudocolumella L. Li, S.H. Li & Y. Wang, sp. nov.) established as a new species for science based on specimens found during a survey of hypogeous fungi in the Hengduan Mountains, Sichuan Province, southwest China.

Truncocolumella Zeller 1939 a small genus of false truffles with the type species Truncocolumella citrina Zeller 1939. To date only T. citrina and Truncocolumella occidentalis Malençon & Zeller 1940 have been recognized. T. citrina is a common ectomycorrhizal species found in coniferous forests in North America. However, T. occidentalis is rare and has only been found in Canada.

A single specimen was found in the Yala Mountains in western Sichuan Province, China. Two additional collections were later found in the same area. Western Sichuan Province, part of the Hengduan Mountains, is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world.

T. pseudocolumella differs from other species in the genus Truncocolumella in that the basidiomata are not columnar. The epithet pseudocolumella refers to the absence of a columella. The new species occurs in soil associations with Quercus guyavaefolia and Pinus sp.

Furthermore, the basidiomata of T. citrina are 2–4 cm in diameter, comparable to those of T. pseudocolumella (1.5–3 cm), but two to three times larger than those of T. occidentalis. The surface of the basidiomata of T. citrina is citrine yellow, T. pseudocolumella is yellow-brown and T. occidentalis is white, although the color of T. occidentalis is uncertain because it was preserved in alcohol.

Microscopically, T. citrina has ellipsoid spores measuring 6–10 × 3.5–5.0 μm, with individual spores appearing nearly hyaline. Similarly, T. pseudocolumella has ellipsoid spores measuring 7.5–10.0 × 4.0–5.0 μm that are also nearly hyaline, indicating a close resemblance between the two.

T. citrina spores are markedly shorter, more oblong and more irregular in shape than T. occidentalis spores whose bodies are long elliptical or sometimes subcylindrical.

DESCRIPTION

Basidiomata irregularly depressed-globose to pyriform, with a yellowish-tawny (4C8) rhizomorphic base, 1.5–3.0 cm in diameter, the surface typically smooth and dry in appearance, light yellowish-tawny (4C5) with yellowish-brown (4C8) rhizomorphs, colour unchanged on bruising or exposure, elastic, very mature basidiomata deliquesce like Rhizopogon. Odour light and pleasant.

Peridium 102–160 μm thick, not separating or evanescent from the gleba at maturity, composed of two layers: outer layer 52–73 μm thick, reddish-tawny (7D7) interwoven hyphae of 1–1.5 μm diameter. The inner layer 40–86 µm thick, consisting of brownish-hyaline nearly parallel interwoven hyphae of 0.5–1.5 μm diameter. The boundary between the inner and outer layers gradually transitioning, with the changes in hyphae arrangement direction and hyphae colour.

The clamp connection clearly visible, dry peridium becoming black (4F4) when encountering 5% KOH. Gleba pale white when immature, light brown to tawny at maturity, unchanging on bruising or exposure, cavities relatively small, spongy, lacking obvious columnar or dendroid radiating columella. Trama (56.0–) 62.5–85.0 μm, composed of hyaline almost parallel hyphae.

Hymenium present on cavities surface. Basidia narrowly clavate, (15.0–) 17.2–19.5 (–22.4) × 3.5–6.5 (–7.0) μm, 2-4-spored. Sterigmata 2–3 μm. Basidiospore ellipsoid, smooth, 7.5–10.0 (–11.0) × 4.0–5.0 (–5.6) μm, grey to brownish (7D5) in mass, as seen individually, almost hyaline, typically 1–2 guttulate, infrequently 3-guttulate, changing to blue in lactophenol cotton blue, not obvious discolouration in Melzer's reagent.

Original research

Li L, Wan S, Wang Y, Thongklang N, Luo Z, Li S (2024). A new species of the genus Truncocolumella (Basidiomycota, Boletales) found in the Hengduan Mountains of China. Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e128970, DOI:10.3897/BDJ.12.e128970

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Blood lily (Scadoxus multiflorus)

Blood lily or Haemanthus multiflorus ( Scadoxus multiflorus ) is a species of plant in the Amaryllidaceae, a bulbous shrub that produces rhizomes. Leaves and flowers may appear together or leaves may be produced later. The base of the leaves and stems are tightly wrapped to form a pseudo-stem or false stem, 5-60 cm long. Flowers in umbels at the top of the stem, leafless, 12-75 cm long. Pseudostems and scapes are often covered with reddish brown to dark purple spots. The flower umbel is in the shape of a globe with 10-200 individual flowers. Each flower has a stalk, 15-45 mm long. The tepals and filaments of the stamens are red. The base of the tepals is fused to form a cylindrical tube, 4-26 mm long, the free end of the tepals 12-32 mm long, narrow and spreading. The fruit is a berry having a diameter of 5-10 mm. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Liliopsida Order: Asparagales Family: Amaryllidaceae Subfamily: Amaryllidoideae Tribe: Haemantheae Ge...
Read more

Guinea grass (Panicum maximum)

Guinea grass or buffalo grass or green panic ( Panicum maximum ) is a plant species in Poaceae, annual grasses, growing upright to form clumps, strong, cultivated in all tropical and subtropical regions for very high value as fodder. P. maximum reproduces in very large pols, fibrous roots penetrate into the soil, upright stems, green, 1-1.5 m tall and have smooth cavities for diameters up to 2.5 mm. Propagation is done vegetatively and generatively. Ribbon-shaped leaves with a pointed tip, very many, built in lines, green, 40-105 cm long, 10-30 mm wide, erect, branched, a white linear bone, often covered with a layer of white wax, rough surface by hair short, dense and spread. The flower grows at the end of a long and upright stalk, open with the main axis length to more than 25 cm and the length of the bunches down to 20 cm. Grains have a size of 3x4 mm and oval. Seeds have a length of 2.25-2.50 mm and each 1 kg contains 1.2 - 1.5 million seeds. Guinea grass has two varieties. P...
Read more

Indian shot (Canna indica)

Puspa midra or Indian shot ( Canna indica ) is is plant species in Cannaceae, annual, shrub 0.5-2.5 meters high, depending on variety, erect stems, unbranched and leaf midrib arranged overlapping to form pseudostems and hermaphrodite flowers. C. indica forms a branched rhizome, 60 cm long which is divided into rounded segments and is covered in two stripes by pale green or purple scaly leaves. The rhizome has tubers that contain very large starch grains. The surface has transverse furrows, the underside appears white roots and numerous shoots. The leaves sit alternate and spiral or arranged in two rows, very large and divided into a leaf midrib, short stalk and blade. The strands are 30-60 cm long, 10-20 cm wide and have linear veins, green or purple-green, the base blunt or narrowly pointed and the apex immediately tapering or sharp. Hermaphrodite flowers, pedicels 0.2-1 cm long and red or yellow-orange, except in some cultivars 4.5-7.5 cm long. The sepals are triangular in shape a...
Read more