A phylogenetic and taxonomic study on Steccherinum (Polyporales, Basidiomycota): Focusing on three new Steccherinum species from southern China

Jun-Hong Dong; Xun-Chi Zhang; Jia-Jia Chen; Zhong-Long Zhu; Chang-Lin Zhao

doi:10.3389/fcimb.2022.1103579

A phylogenetic and taxonomic study on Steccherinum (Polyporales, Basidiomycota): Focusing on three new Steccherinum species from southern China

Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2023 Jan 10:12:1103579. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1103579. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Jun-Hong Dong^{1

2}, Xun-Chi Zhang^{1

2}, Jia-Jia Chen³, Zhong-Long Zhu⁴, Chang-Lin Zhao^{1

2

5}

Affiliations

¹ Yunnan Key Laboratory of Plateau Wetland Conservation, Restoration and Ecological Services, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China.
² College of Biodiversity Conservation, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China.
³ College of Landscape Architecture, Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Zhenjiang, China.
⁴ College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
⁵ Yunnan Key Laboratory for Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Science, Kunming, China.

Abstract

The wood-inhabiting fungi play an integral role in wood degradation and the cycle of matter in the ecological system. They are considered as the "key player" in wood decomposition, because of their ability to produce all kinds of enzymes that break down woody lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose. In the present study, three new wood-inhabiting fungal species, Steccherinum fissurutum, S. punctatum and S. subtropicum spp. nov., collected from southern China, are proposed based on a combination of morphological features and molecular evidence. Steccherinum fissurutum is characterized by the resupinate, subceraceous basidiomata with cracked hymenophore, a monomitic hyphal system with clamped generative hyphae and cylindrical basidiospores; S. punctatum is characterized by the annual, punctate basidiomata with leathery hymenophore, cylindrical, strongly encrusted cystidia and ellipsoid basidiospores (3.6-4.5 ×2.6-3.4 µm); S. subtropicum is characterized by its effuse-reflexed basidiomata, a odontioid hymenophore with pink to lilac hymenial surface and ellipsoid basidiospores measuring as (2.8-3.4 × 2.0-2.7 µm). Sequences of ITS and nLSU rRNA markers of the studied samples were generated, and phylogenetic analyses were performed with maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and Bayesian inference methods. The ITS+nLSU analysis of the family Steccherinaceae indicated that the three new species clustered into the genus Steccherinum. Based on further analysis of ITS+nLSU dataset, the phylogenetic analysis confirmed that S. subtropicum was sister to S. enuispinum; S. fissurutum formed a monophyletic lineage; S. punctatum grouped with a clade comprised S. straminellum and S. ciliolatum.

Keywords: Steccherinaceae; Yunnan Province; biodiversity; molecular systematics; wood-inhabiting fungi.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Basidiomycota*
Bayes Theorem
China
Phylogeny
Polyporales* / genetics

Grants and funding

The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No. 32170004), Natural Science Foundation of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China (Grant 20KJB220003), Yunnan Fundamental Research Project (Grant No. 202001AS070043), the High-level Talents Program of Yunnan Province (YNQR-QNRC-2018-111).