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

Temulawak (Curcuma zanthorrhiza)

Temulawak or Java ginger or Javanese ginger or Javanese turmeric or Curcuma xanthorrhiza ( Curcuma zanthorrhiza ) is a plant species in Zingiberaceae, grows well in loose soil in tropical forests in the lowlands to an altitude of 1500 meters above sea level and tubers are used for medicinal herbs and drinks. C. zanthorrhiza has pseudo stems up to 2 m tall. The stem is a midrib of upright, overlapping leaves, green or dark brown in color. Rhizomes are perfectly formed, large, branched and reddish brown, dark yellow or dark green. Each bud forms 2-9 leaves with a circular shape extending to lancet, green or light purple to dark brown, leaves 31-84 cm long and 10-18 cm wide, stems 43-80 cm long and each strand is connected with a midrib. Flowers are dark yellow, uniquely shaped and clustered with lateral inflorescences. The stems and scales are in the form of lines, 9-23cm long and 4-6cm wide, having protectors with comparable crowns. Petals are white, hairy and 8-13mm long. The...
Read more

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...
Read more

Bright white flat-backed millipede (Trichopeltis jiyue) like moon emerging from behind dark rain clouds

NEWS - Bright white flat-backed millipede ( Trichopeltis jiyue sp. nov.) from Ailaoshan National Nature Reserve in Yunnan Province, is the second recorded epigean species of Trichopeltis Pocock 1894 in China. Jiyue (Chinese spelling) refers to the bright white appearance of the animal, like the moon emerging from behind dark rain clouds. Polydesmida is one of the most diverse orders of Diplopoda (millipedes) with about 5000 species in 30 families and is widely distributed worldwide. All Polydesmida are blind, eyeless and metaterga usually show small to prominent lateral paranota or paraterga. Cryptodesmidae Karsch 1880 is a family Polydesmida with about 40 genera and 130 species distributed in the Neotropics (Mexico to Argentina), Afrotropics (continental sub-Saharan Africa) and Asia-Australasia (Central Asia and the Himalayas to Japan and Papua New Guinea). In tropical or subtropical Asia and Australasia, 12 genera and 36 species have been documented in Cryptodesmidae. Trichopeltis P...
Read more