Clavulina pallida Yue Gao, Hao Zhou, & C. L. Hou 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Gao, Yue
name: Tong, Xin
name: Zhou, Hao
name: Wang, Hai-Qi
name: Li, Cheng
name: Hou, Cheng-Lin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Fungi
Basidiomycota
Agaricomycetes
Cantharellales
Hydnaceae
Clavulina
Clavulina pallida

description: Clavulina pallida Yue Gao, Hao Zhou, & C. L. Hou sp. nov.
Figs 2 F – I, 3 E – G, 6
Diagnosis.
Clavulina pallida differs from known Clavulina species in its white to pale cream white basidiomata, with somewhat orange tips, basidiospores 7.0–9.7 × 6.4–8.6 μm, basidia 34.2–48.5 × 4.8–6.3 μm, postpartal septa present, and clamp connections present.
Etymology.
The epithet “ pallida ” refers to the basidiomata being pale white.
Type.
China • Beijing, Miyun District, Heilongtan; 40 ° 35 ' 30 " N, 116 ° 46 ' 20 " E, alt. 397 m; 27 Aug. 2021; C. L. Hou, G. Q. Cheng, R. T. Zhang (BJTC C 669); GenBank nrITS: PP 835329, nrLSU: PP 835342, rpb 2: PP 889515.
Description.
Basidiomata coralloid, solitary or scattered; individual basidiomata 17–38 mm tall, 1.8–10 mm wide across branches, simple or sparsely branched one to two times, monopodial or irregularly dichotomous toward branch apices and monopodial or dichotomous at the base, branches subterete or subclavate to fattened and somewhat flattened with age, smooth or rough, branch tips are rounded when young, gradually become pointed with age; white (# ffffff) to pale cream white (# fffaef) when fresh and tips somewhat orange (# ff 9000), brownish orange (# cd 8400) when dry. Stipes generally distinct, 7–14 mm long, 1.5–4 mm wide, subcylindrical or flattened, white (# ffffff) to pale cream white (# fffaef). Hymenium amphigenous, somewhat wrinkled.
Basidiospores [131 / 10 / 6] (6.6 -) 7.0–9.7 (- 10.1) × (6.0 -) 6.4–8.6 (- 10.1) μm, Q = 1.00–1.24 (- 1.29), Q m = 1.10 ± 0.06, globose to subglobose, smooth, hyaline in H 2 O and KOH, thin-walled, inamyloid, with a 0.6–1.1 μm irregular hilar appendix, and one large oleiferous guttule. Basidia (31.8 –) 34.2–48.5 (- 55.3) × 4.8–6.3 (- 7.6) μm, clavate to subcylindrical, tapering from apex to base; postpartal septa present in most basidia, which occurred 10–22 μm below basidia tips; two sterigmata occur per basidium, 3.7–6.2 μm long, and cornute. Basidioles abundant, subclavate to subcylindrical. Tramal hyphae in stipe smooth, thin walled, hyaline in KOH, 3.3–6.2 μm wide, not inflated; tramal hyphae in branch hyaline and thin-walled, 2.8–6.7 (- 9.0) μm wide; clamp connections abundant. Hyphal system monomitic. Cystidia absent.
Habit, habitat, and distribution.
Solitary or scattered in humus layers on soils in broad-leaved deciduous forests associated with Carpinus L. and Castanea Mill. Basidiomata generally occur from July to August and are currently known from Beijing and Hebei Province, China.
Additional specimens examined.
China • Beijing, Pinggu District, Zhenluo Mountain Villa; 40 ° 20 ' 24 " N, 117 ° 8 ' 57 " E, alt. 294 m; 20 Aug. 2021; C. L. Hou, G. Q. Cheng, R. T. Zhang (BJTC C 229); China • Beijing, Yanqing District, Heibei village; 40 ° 25 ' 48 " N, 116 ° 14 ' 44 " E, alt. 456 m; 11 Aug. 2018; X. Y. Shen, B. D. He, K. B. Huang (BJTC S 062); China • Beijing, Changping District, Yanshou Temple; 40 ° 22 ' 24 " N, 116 ° 19 ' 22 " E, alt. 276 m; 14 Aug. 2019; C. L. Hou, H. Zhou, G. Q. Cheng (BJTC ZH 0056); same location • 40 ° 22 ' 6 " N, 116 ° 19 ' 19 " E, alt. 215 m; 17 Aug. 2021; H. Zhou, X. Y. Shen, X. B. Huang (BJTC ZH 0810); China • Hebei Province, Zunhua City, Wanfo Garden; 40 ° 11 ' 34 " N, 116 ° 37 ' 1 " E, alt. 144 m; 22 Aug. 2021; H. Zhou, X. Y. Shen, X. B. Huang (BJTC ZH 1055).
Notes.
In the phylogenetic analyses (Fig. 1.), C. pallida is phylogenetically close to Clavulina mahiscolorata. C. mahiscolorata also has white basidiomata, but turns orange when dried, larger basidia (56–74 × 6–8 µm) are present (Pérez-Pazos et al. 2019). As described in the current record of the genus Clavulina, in terms of macroscopic features, Clavulina rugosa is closely related to C. pallida, with simple or sparsely branched basidiomata. However, C. rugosa differs from C. pallida in that it has longitudinally wrinkled surfaces of basidiomata and relatively large basidiospores (9–14 × 8–12 µm) (Corner 1950; Olariaga et al. 2009). Clavulina livida generally shares similar simple basidiomata with C. pallida, but the former has grayish olive to dark grayish olive basidiomata, branch tips becoming pale pinkish cinnamon to chestnut with age, larger basidiospores (11.6–12.9 × 10.7–12.5 µm) and basidia (51.5–76.7 × 7.0–12.3 µm) (He et al. 2016). Clavulina caespitosa T. W. Henkel, Meszaros & Aime differs from C. pallida in its simple basidomata in cespitose clusters, free or slightly fused basally, apex sharply acuminate, larger basidiospores (8.5–10.5 × 7–9.5 µm) and basidia (81–98 µm long, apex 6.3–7.5 µm, at base 3.5–5 µm), and postpartal septa not observed (Henkel 2005).
description: Published as part of Gao, Yue, Tong, Xin, Zhou, Hao, Wang, Hai-Qi, Li, Cheng & Hou, Cheng-Lin, 2024, Three new species of the genus Clavulina (Hydnaceae, Cantharellales) from North China based on morphological and phylogenetic analysis, pp. 75-94 in MycoKeys 108 on pages 75-94, DOI: 10.3897/mycokeys.108.124004