Guang-Mei Li

Impacts of forest disturbance on macrofungal diversity remain underexplored due to methodological limitations. Here we revisit a previously studied grazing experiment in the subtropical forests of South China using fungal ITS amplicon sequencing based on soil samples, aiming to assess whether the previous observed increase in sporocarp-based diversity is mirrored belowground and to provide taxonomic identities for these massive environmental sequences. After 2.6 years of grazing with 10 goats per hectare across three forest types (secondary mixed forests, dense-tree plantations and sparse-tree plantations), soil macrofungal communities exhibited increased alpha-diversity indices, corroborating our previous sporocarp-based findings while revealing a far larger pool of previously undetected taxa. These findings are consistent with the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, wherein moderate physical disturbance creates novel microhabitats that accommodate a broader array of macrofungal taxa. Equally notably, the majority of soil-derived sequences correspond to undescribed or ambiguous taxa, underscoring the fundamental knowledge gap in fungal taxonomy. Through cross-matching soil sequences with sporocarp specimens collected from both within and beyond the experimental plots, we describe and revise some taxa with morphological and molecular approaches, providing essential groundwork for future ecological, conservational and applied mycology studies.

This study presents taxonomic updates and revisions on mushrooms from China, incorporating morphological, traditional phylogenetic, and phylogenomic approaches. In Kingdom Amoebozoa, several taxa of Ceratiomyxa and Tubifera are discussed. In Ascomycota of Kingdom Fungi, two species of Geoglossum and Squamulea with special morphology or ecology are reported. In Basidiomycota, Kingdom Fungi, some cryptic taxa are recognized with molecular evidence for Agaricus, Amanita, Calvatia, Cantonopsathyra, Clavaria s. l., Delicatula, Disciseda, Geastrum, Lepiota, Leucocoprinus s. l., Mycena s. l., Mycoamaranthus, Pseudolyophyllum and Volvariella. These are described, and some new combinations in Lycoperdaceae and Mycenaceae are suggested to achieve monophyly. A reclassification is presented for the leucocoprinoid group, organizing two subfamilies and nine genera (Leucocoprinoideae including Leucocoprinus, Leucoagaricus, Conioexocarpus, Pulchrolepiota and Tristolepiota; and Micropsalliotoideae including Micropsalliota, Mesopsalliota, Macropsalliota and Candelolepiota). Concept of the historical species name Macropsalliota purpureorubra is clarified with recent collections. Sinotermitomyces meipengianus is surprisingly recognized as an earlier name of Macrolepiota detersa based on type studies, and is recombined as Macrolepiota meipengiana.

Concerns about potential negative impacts of human activity on macrofungal diversity are spreading globally, yet research on this topic remains scarce. This study focuses on forest grazing (silvopasture), a popular economic practice whose impacts on macrofungal diversity are underexplored. Through investigation and comparison of macrofungal diversity and selected environmental factors in three types of subtropical forests (secondary mixed forests, dense-tree plantations and sparse-tree plantations) before and after two years of grazing at an intensity of 10 goats per hectare in South China, three key findings emerged: (1) Macrofungal alpha-diversity increased significantly after grazing, associated with an increase in large plant remains and a decrease in litterfall thickness; (2) dominance was monopolized by few taxa before grazing but became more balanced among a number of taxa after grazing; and (3) dominance of endemic taxa decreased in two of the three types of forests after grazing. Such findings suggest that grazing may create additional niches through foraging, trampling and excretion by livestock and thus recruit diverse macrofungi but may also lead to homogenization of fungal florae across regions and thus result in recessive beta-diversity loss. As this study heavily relies on taxonomy, allied updates for ambiguous taxa recognized in analyses are additionally proposed.

Towards a better understanding of fungal diversity in Guangzhou City, South China, seventeen relevant species from two phyla, two classes, six orders and fourteen families, are described and/or discussed in this study. Among them, Atramentodiscus nanshaensis represents a new apothecial family of Dothideomycetes, differing from taxa in the sister family Catinellaceae by the presence of croziers, smoother apothecial margin, and more uniformly pigmented ectal excipulum; Agaricus cantonotraminus is a new species recognized in the well-known Ag. campestris complex, phylogenetically closest to Ag. braendlei and Ag. pampeanus, but the shape and size of basidiospores are different; Hymenagaricus conghuaensis is a new species sister to Hy. splendidissimus, exhibiting similar morphology with Hy. splendidissimus, but presenting fewer and sparser squamules, and greyish brown lamellae with brownish basidiospores; Leucocoprinus phantasmaticus is a new species in the L. birnbaumii clade, differing from other Asian Leucocoprinus species by its typically lignicolous habit, whitish fragile basidiomata, and pileus squamules composed of inflated cells; Amanita huangpuensis is a new and possibly poisonous species of the Am. pseudoporphyria complex, differing from other species in this complex by a combination of small to medium-sized basidiomata, non-greyish stipe with a superior annulus and whitish to greyish volval remnants around stipe base, usually retained volval remnants on pileus, and subglobose, broadly ellipsoid to ellipsoid basidiospores sized 6–7.5 × 5–6 µm; Clitopilus zoysiae is a new species of Clitopilus sect. Scyphoides, sister to C. giovanellae, differing from other species in this section by the habit of growing on living or dead stems of Zoysia plants; Calvatia scandens is a new species recognized in Calvatia sect. Calvatia, uniquely processing tiny basidiomata, a habit of clinging on stones, sticks or bricks by rhizomorphs, ellipsoid basidiospores, and capillitia strongly encrusted with granules when mature; Termitomyces intermedius, current name for a well-known edible fungus, is threatened by an earlier name Sinotermitomyces taiwanensis, but the holotype components of the latter name are inferred as problematic and cannot be confirmed at present; Marasmiellomycena entolomatoides is a new species with remarkable tomentose basidiomata, currently placed in the heterogenous genus Marasmiellomycena but may be further revised; Floriboletus is a new genus of Boletoideae in Boletaceae, with coniodermal pileipellis differing from other genera known in this subfamily, currently comprising two species, Floriboletus tianheensis and F. puellaris; Hygrophoropsis pleurotoides is a new species with unresolved phylogenetic position, morphologically distinct by pleurotoid basidiomata with lamellate hymenophore and tiny basidiospores, assigned to the genus Hygrophoropsis for the moment; Satyrus, a genus historically proposed in Phallus s. l., is recognized as separated from Phallus s. str. with two species characterized by reddish basidiomata with a rugose pileus surface, Satyrus rubicundus and S. rugulosus, as suggested by the current phylogeny; Daedalea atypa is revised as the correct name of the so-called D. modesta previously known in South China, and Fomitopsis rubida is recognized as a later synonym of D. atypa with molecular evidence; Polyporus mesotalpae, previously known as a later synonym of Kusaghiporia talpae, is recognized as an independent species with molecular evidence from our collections, recombined as Kusaghiporia mesotalpae, representing a newly recorded species in China; Pycnoporus sinoruber is a new species of the P. coccineus complex, differing from P. coccineus and P. sanguineus by shorter basidiospores and the more temperate distribution; Russula dulcicora is a new species in Russula sect. Heterophyllae subsect. Amoeninae, processing a unique combination of pinkish pileus and basidiospores sized 8.5–9.5 × 7–8.5 µm with subreticulate ornamentation.

To bring new data for taxonomy of the common but insufficiently known genus Scleroderma, we have performed morphological and phylogenetic studies on 63 relevant collections gathered across China. Three previously described sections of Scleroderma, namely sect. Scleroderma, sect. Sclerangium and sect. Reticulatae, are accepted with revisions from the current phylogenies and observations. Peridium thickness, morphology of basidiospore ornamentation, and the presence or absence of clamp connections, are found to be informative characteristics for distinguishing these sections. A total of 18 species belonging to these three sections are identified and described, wherein nine are new to science (S. boluoshanense, S. gaibeioides, S. lunare, S. navigatum, S. pernicococcum, S. plutonium, S. solare, S. zengchengense and S. zijinshanense), three are newly recorded in China (S. capeverdeanum, S. nastii and S. xanthochroum), and six are previously known in China (S. areolatum, S. bovista, S. cepa, S. suthepense, S. venenatum and S. yunnanense). The edibility/toxicity of analysed species seems largely consistent with our phylogenies. Most of the species inferred as poisonous are found to be nested in the sect. Scleroderma, while safer species are found within the sect. Sclerangium. However, it must be noted that credible molecular evidence for many species inferred as edible is largely absent, and thus they require further confirmations for the sake of safety. The phylogenetic position of sect. Caloderma and S. dictyosporum remains uncertain, due to the lack of more samples.

During an investigation on psathyrelloid fungi conducted from 2023 to 2024 in the Pearl River Delta in South China, 49 collections were gathered and studied through morphological observations and phylogenetic analyses. Among these collections, eight are identified as a new species of a new genus, namely Cantonopsathyra serendipita, characterized by terrestrial psathyrelloid basidiomata with a slightly rugose pileus, basidiospores with an irregularly wrinkled surface, and the rare presence of pleurocystidia and clamp connections; two are identified as a new species of Parasola, namely Pa. haizhuensis, characterized by lignicolous psathyrelloid basidiomata with an undulate pileus margin; while the remaining 39 could only be identified to the generic level of Candolleomyces. Species delimitation within Candolleomyces is found to be challenging, because the following problems often occur in the hypothetical species on our ITS phylogeny: (1) with an ITS sequence more than 99% similar to that of another species; (2) issued by a very short branch from the backbone; (3) unsupported by statistical values; (4) not a monophyletic group; and (5) with inaccurate sequences. A four-locus (ITS, nrLSU, tef-1α, and β-tub) phylogenetic analysis with limited samples of Candolleomyces appears to alleviate most of these problems by providing clearer partitions; however, four-locus data for previously proposed species remain largely unavailable for comparison. Based on the recent scale of species delimitation in Candolleomyces, more than ten new species of Candolleomyces appear to exist in our collections; however, due to the aforementioned issues, they are not formally proposed in this study. We recommend that new species of Candolleomyces proposed in the future should be provided with four-locus data of ITS, nrLSU, tef-1α, and β-tub. Supplementary sequencing for unprovided loci from type materials of previously proposed Candolleomyces species, particularly those proposed in recent years, is also highly encouraged. The recently proposed genus Tulosesus is illegitimate due to its circumscription including the type of an earlier legitimate genus, Ephemerocybe, and corresponding new combinations for transfer are made. Another genus, Lacrymaria Pat. 1887, is also illegitimate due to the homonymy with an earlier protist genus, Lacrymaria Ehrenberg 1830, but may be worth conserving; therefore, it is not treated here.

Some whitish, yellowish to orangish cup fungi collected in South China are described as three new species of Acervus based on morphological studies and four-locus (nrLSU, rpb1, rpb2 and tef-1α) phylogenetic analyses, namely A. aurorinus, A. crepusculinus and A. stellatus. A. aurorinus and A. crepusculinus have yellowish to orangish coloured ascomata and are similar to each other, but can be distinguished by the size of apothecium, colour brightness of hymenium surface, size of ascospores, shape of paraphyses and structure of medullary excipulum. A. stellatus represents the second Acervus taxon known to have whitish ascomata, similar to the earlier described A. epispartius f. albus, but can be distinguished from the latter by size of apothecium, shape of ascospores, asci and paraphyses, and structure of medullary excipulum and ectal excipulum.

The subfamily Suillelloideae is a large group within the fungal family Boletaceae, encompassing over 20 genera. New species within this subfamily are frequently discovered, particularly in subtropical and tropical regions. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, this study described a new species, namely A. rugosipileus of the genus Acyanoboletus in Suillelloideae from Southwest and South China. It is distinguished by its rugose, brownish pileus surface, yellowish hymenophore and context without color change when bruised, smooth basidiospores. Detailed morphological descriptions and phylogenetic analyses were performed, including comparisons with morphologically similar and phylogenetically related species. A dichotomous key for the Chinese species of Acyanoboletus is also provided.

An agaric belonging to the Leucoagaricus-Leucocoprinus group (AC group) of Agaricaceae s. l., commonly found in South China, was usually identified as Leucoagaricus lacrymans or Lepiota shixingensis in previous researches. However, as this agaric is also close to La. sinicus and the phylogeny of the AC group has not been resolved, its taxonomic position has not been elucidated. In this study, by reconstructing the phylogeny of the AC group and its closely related genera based on four DNA loci (ITS, nrLSU, rpb2, and tef-1α), the AC group is resolved as polyphyletic but formed a monophyletic group together with Micropsalliota, and is divided into four genera: Leucoagaricus, Leucocoprinus, and two newly described genera close to Micropsalliota, namely Candelolepiota and Macropsalliota. Candelolepiota is a monotypic genus that accommodates this agaric as Candelolepiota sinicus (≡ Leucoagaricus sinicus), characterized by basidiomata excreting colored droplets when fresh, turning brownish after touched or damaged, and subcylindrical, flexuous cheilocystidia. Leucoagaricus lacrymans is a later synonym of Cd. sinicus. Macropsalliota is similar to Micropsalliota, but differs from the latter by usually more robust basidiomata, pileus with granular, fibrous or flaky squamules composed of perpendicular to interwoven hyphae, whitish to yellowish lamellae and slightly colored basidiospores with a germ pore, accommodating the previously recognized La. americanus and its related species. Leucoagaricus is revised to accommodate species that are usually saprotrophic in forests, not symbiotic with attine ant species, producing slender to moderately robust basidiomata without a distinct color change after touched, damaged, or dried, with a non-plicate to shortly plicate pileus without or with squamules composed of horizontal to interwoven hyphae, and basidiospores without a germ pore. Leucocoprinus is revised to accommodate species that are widely saprotrophic in forests, lawns, urban areas, and compost, occasionally symbiotic with attine ant species, producing slender to robust basidiomata turning reddish, purplish, greenish to bluish or without a distinct color change after touched, damaged, or dried, with a non-plicate to plicate pileus with squamules composed of perpendicular to interwoven hyphae, and basidiospores with or without a germ pore. The presence or absence of a long continuous gap region in the ITS alignment is also found to be informative for the recognition of Micropsalliota, Macropsalliota, and the other three genera in the AC group. Fifty-three new combinations are proposed. The genus Lepiota is recognized as separated from Agaricaceae s. str. and belonging to the family Lepiotaceae.

The taxonomy regarding three closely related genera of Agaricaceae, viz. Heinemannomyces, Hymenagaricus and Xanthagaricus, is updated based on morphological and four-locus molecular phylogenetic evidence from collections gathered in South China. Thirteen species identified from 122 collections are described, including Heinemannomyces splendidissimus, eight new species of Xanthagaricus, viz. X. boluoshanensis, X. chamaeleontinus, X. guangzhouensis, X. heinemannii, X. minimus, X. phylononcaeruleus, X. retisporus and X. scauinus, and four known species of Xanthagaricus, viz. X. erinaceus, X. ianthinus, X. necopinatus and X. purpureosquamulosus. Among them, He. splendidissimus is phylogenetically recognized as a Hymenagaricus species, namely Hy. splendidissimus, and Xanthagaricus heinemannii is morphologically similar to Hy. splendidissimus in floccose squamules on the pileus and stipe. Both species have pileus squamules composed of inflated cells in the lower layer and hyphae forming an irregular trichoderm in the upper layer. However, X. heinemannii differs from Hy. splendidissimus by the context not turning reddish after damaged, brownish lamellae, and usually without hymeniform elements in pileus squamules. These findings suggest that species of both Hymenagaricus and Xanthagaricus may present hyphae forming an irregular trichoderm in pileus squamules. Xanthagaricus erinaceus is rediscovered after 40 years, together with X. necopinatus and X. purpureosquamulosus are three newly recorded species in China.