Spodocybe alpina L. P. Tang & J. Ma, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ma, Jing
name: Zhang, Guo-Li
name: Zhang, Wen-Hao
name: Pu, Yun-Ju
name: Tang, Li-Ping
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Fungi
Basidiomycota
Agaricomycetes
Agaricales
Hygrophoraceae
Spodocybe
Spodocybe alpina

description: Spodocybe alpina L.P. Tang & J. Ma, sp. nov. (Figs. 2a – b, 3a, 4a)
Chinese name: Ả山灰ȅ杯伞
MycoBank:—MB844214
Diagnosis:—Differs from S. bispora in having smaller basidiomata and smaller basidiospores, growing on the ground of dark coniferous forests.
Etymology:— “ alpina ” refers to the occurrence in high-elevation.
Holotype:— CHINA. Yunnan province: Yulong Naxi Autonomous prefecture (玉ÁaewNJÞ治县), Tai'an Town (kae乡), Observatory (天Ý台), on the soil of coniferous forests dominated by Pinus armandii and P. densata, 26°42.05'N, 100°2.12'E, elev. 3150 m, 27 July 2021, Wen-Hao Zhang 642 (MHKMU Zhang-642!, GenBank Acc. No.: nrLSU = ON595779, ITS = ON595770).
Description:— Basidiomata medium, texture flexible. Pileus 2−3.5 cm diam., nearly explanate, center depressed; surface finely tomentose, white (1B1) when young, grey-white (3B1) to grey-brown (5D1−2) when mature; context dirty white (2A1), thick about 0.3 cm wide. Lamellae decurrent, slightly crowded, white (1B2), about 0.2 cm wide. Stipe 5.5−6.5 cm long, 0.4−0.6 cm in diam., cylindrical, hollow, concolorous with pileus at apex part, gradually paler towards the base. Mycelial hyphae white.
Basidiospores [60/2/1] 4.5−6 × (2.5−) 3−3.5 μm, Q = 1.43−2.0, Q m = 1.73±0.18, ellipsoid to elongate, hyaline, smooth, thin-walled, inamyloid. Basidia 20−25 × 4.5−5.5 μm, clavate, thin-walled, usually 4-spored, occasionally 2- spored or 3-spored; sterigmata 2−4 μm long. Cystidia absent. Lamellar trama subregular, hyaline, consisting of hyphae 3–9 μm, thin-walled. Pileipellis a cutis, comprised of hyphae 3–11 μm wide, thin-walled or slightly thickened (about 1 μm). Pileitrama comprised of parallel hyphae 3–10 μm wide, thin-walled. Stipitipellis a cutis, comprised of hyphae 3–9 μm wide, thin-walled or slightly thickened (about 1 μm). Stipititrama comprised of parallel hyphae 3–10 μm wide, thin-walled. Mycelial hyphae 2–9 μm wide, thin-walled. Clamp connections present in all tissues.
Habit and habitat:—Usually scattered on the ground of dark coniferous forests dominated by Pinus armandii and P. densata.
Distribution:— CHINA: currently known only from Yunnan province (Dali city, Yulong Naxi Autonomous prefecture) at elevations ranging from 3,100 –4,100 m.
Additional material examined:— CHINA. Yunnan province: Dali City (大DZṁ), Cangshan (ẠƜ), XiaoCen Feng (小Ẹē), 26°68.23'N, 100°09.32'E, elev. 4,100 m, 20 July 2019, KUN-HKAS 112565 (Genbank Acc. No.: nrLSU = MW763015, ITS = MW762890).
Comments:— Spodocybe alpina was treated as an unknown species in He & Yang 2021 (KUN-HKAS 112565). This new species is distinguished by its medium basidiomata (2–3.5 cm diam), grey-brown stipe, ellipsoid to elongate basidiospores, basidia usually 4-spored, and usually scattered on ground in forests of P. armandii and P. densata. Currently, this taxon is known only in Yunnan province, and is the only known one with the highest distribution elevation (3100−4100 m). Spodocybe alpina is likely to be confused with S. bispora. Both have a nearly smooth and grey-brown pileus, but S. bispora differs in its larger basidiomata (3−5 cm vs. 2−3.5 cm), larger basidiospores (7−8.5 × 3−4 μm vs. 4.5−6 × 3−3.5 μm), longer basidia (20–30 × 4–5.5 μm vs. 20−25 × 4.5−5.5 μm), usually 2-spored, and gregarious on the ground of broad-leaved or mixed forests at lower altitudes (1900−2700 m vs. 3100−4100 m).
description: Published as part of Ma, Jing, Zhang, Guo-Li, Zhang, Wen-Hao, Pu, Yun-Ju & Tang, Li-Ping, 2024, A contribution to the knowledge of the genus Spodocybe (Hygrophoraceae, Agaricales) in China, pp. 47-58 in Phytotaxa 652 (1) on pages 50-52, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.652.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/13216559