Efibula rodriguezarmasiae Telleria, M. Dueñas, BeltránTej., Melo, Salcedo & M.P. Martín, sp. nov.

Index Fungorum number: IF 834615; MycoBank number: MB 834615; Facesoffungi number: FoF 09205; Fig. 1

Etymology – Named after the Canary mycologist J. Laura Rodríguez-Armas, “Susi”, colleague and friend.

Holotype – 17681Tell., MA-Fungi 86635

Colour codes follow – ISCC-NBS Centroid Colour Charts (Kelly and Judd 1976)

Basidiomata resupinate, effuse, ceraceous, when dry specimens pale to dark orange yellow or light yellowish brown (73. p. OY—72. d. OY, 76. L. y Br); hymenophore absent. Basidia claviform, 35–48×6–8 µm, with four sterigmata, basal clamp absent. Spores ellipsoid, 6–7×4–5 µm (L/W=1.4), thin-walled, smooth, colorless.

Habitat and distribution – This species is distributed throughout the Macaronesian region: Canary Archipelago and West coast of Morocco, growing on debris and decayed wood of Pericallis murrayi, Euphorbia regis-jubae, Euphorbia balsamifera, Euphorbia officinarum and Kleinia neriifolia, among others.

Material examined – SPAIN, Canary Islands: El Hierro, Frontera, Sabinar de la Dehesa, 27°44′43.97″ N 18°07′2.01″ W, 610 msl, 26 January 2007, on Pericallis murrayi, E. Beltrán-Tejera, J. Cardoso, M. Dueñas, J. Leal, I. Melo, J.L. Rodríguez-Armas and M.T. Telleria, 11400MD (MAFungi 86626). Gran Canaria, Aldea de San Nicolás, barranco de Tasarte, 672 msl, on Euphorbia regis-jubae, 6 December 2007, E. Beltrán-Tejera, M. Dueñas, J.L. Rodríguez-Armas and M.T. Telleria, 17681Tell. (MA-Fungi 86635, holotype). Lanzarote, Haría, Órzola, 29°12′54.50″ N 13°27′3.92″ W, 30 msl, 2 December 2007, on Nicotiana glauca, E. Beltrán-Tejera, M. Dueñas, J.L. RodríguezArmas and M.T. Telleria, 12233MD (MA-Fungi 86638). Lanzarote, Teguise, Arrieta, 30 msl, on Euphorbia balsamifera, 2 December 2007, E. Beltrán-Tejera, M. Dueñas, J.L. Rodríguez-Armas and M.T. Telleria, 17629Tell. (MA-Fungi 86633); on Kleinia neriifolia, 2 December 2007, 17633Tell. (MA-Fungi 86632). Lanzarote, Parque Nacional de Timanfaya, Yaiza, El Mojón, 29°02′38.86″ N 13°45′08.66″ W, 150 msl, 3 December 2007, on Euphorbia balsamifera, E. Beltrán-Tejera, M. Dueñas, J.L. Rodríguez-Armas and M.T. Telleria, 12238MD (MA-Fungi 86637). Lanzarote, Parque Nacional de Timanfaya, Yaiza, Tinajo, next to Montaña Bermeja, 114 msl, on Nicotiana glauca, 3 December 2007, E. Beltrán-Tejera, M. Dueñas, J.L. Rodríguez-Armas and M.T. Telleria, 17657Tell. (MAFungi 86631). Fuerteventura, Betancuria, 357 msl, on Pinus sp., 4 December 2007, E. Beltrán-Tejera, M. Dueñas, J.L. Rodríguez-Armas and M.T. Telleria, 17665Tell. (MA-Fungi 86634). MOROCCO, Souss-Massa-Daraa, road Tiznit to Anglou Plage, 29°45′29.3″ N 09°46′42.2″ W, 158 msl, on Euphorbia sp., 20 April 2010, J. Cardoso, M. Dueñas, I. Melo, M.P. Martín, I. Salcedo and M.T. Telleria, 18699Tell. (MA-Fungi 86648). Souss-Massa-Daraa, road N1, Agadir to Essaouira, next to Tamri, 30°37′36.9″ N 09°50′57.4″ W, 23 msl, on Euphorbia officinarum, 21 April 2010, J. Cardoso, M. Dueñas, I. Melo, M.P. Martín, I. Salcedo and M.T. Telleria, 18761Tell. (MA-Fungi 86652). Souss-Massa-Daraa, road R104, Tiznit to Mirleft, 29°37′21.7″ N 09°53′05.3″ W, 278 msl, on Euphorbia sp., 21 April 2010, J. Cardoso, M. Dueñas, I. Melo, M.P. Martín, I. Salcedo and M.T. Telleria, 18704Tell. (MA-Fungi 86650); 18743Tell., MA-Fungi 86651. Souss-Massa-Daraa, road R104, Mirleft to Sidi Ifni, 29°32′15.4″ N 10°03′24.1″ W, 50 msl, on Euphorbia sp., 20 April 2010, J. Cardoso, M. Dueñas, I. Melo, M.P. Martín, I. Salcedo and M.T. Telleria, 18701Tell. (MA-Fungi 86649).

Other material examined – Phanerochaete sp.: SPAIN, Canary Islands, Lanzarote, Haría, Órzola, 29°12′54.50″ N 13°27′3.92″ W, 30 msl, on Nicotiana glauca, 2 December 2007, E. Beltrán-Tejera, M. Dueñas, J.L. Rodríguez-Armas and M.T. Telleria, 12234MD (MA-Fungi 86625). Efibula tuberculata: SPAIN, Canary Islands, La Palma, Santa Cruz de La Palma, Parque Natural de Las Nieves, road to Roque de los Muchachos, next to César Manrique monument, 28°45′05.36″ N 17°50′06.70″ W, 2,137 msl, 20 January 2007, on Adenocarpus viscosus subsp. spartioides E. Beltrán-Tejera, J. Cardoso, J. Leal, J.L. Rodríguez-Armas and M.T. Telleria, 16871Tell. (MA-Fungi 86621). Corticium tuberculatum P. Karst. [≡ Efibula tuberculata]: FINLAND, Etelä – Maine (EH/Ta). Temmela, Mustiala, in populo, 7 October 1895, P.A. Karsten 1503 (H6003416, lectotype). Phanerochaete xerophila Burdsall: USA, Arizona, Cochise County, San Pedro River Rd., between Redington and Benson, on Prosopis velutina, 26 February 1971, R.L. Gilbertson, RLG-10082 (CFMR, holotype); idem (MA-Fungi 63223, isotype).

GenBank numbers – Efibula rodriguezarmasiae, 11400MD, MA-Fungi 86626: ITS = KF483015, LSU = KF528106; 17657Tell., MA-Fungi 86631: ITS=KF483020, LSU=KF528111; 17633Tell., MA-Fungi 86632: ITS= KF483021, LSU = KF528112; 17629Tell., MA-Fungi 86633: ITS = KF483022, LSU = KF528113; 17665Tell., MA-Fungi 86634: ITS = KF483023, LSU = KF528114; 17681Tell., MA-Fungi 86,635 (holotype): ITS = KF483024, LSU = KF528115; 12238MD, MA-Fungi 86,637: ITS = KF483026, LSU = KF528117; 12233MD, MA-Fungi 86,638: ITS = KF483027, LSU = KF528118; 18699Tell., MA-Fungi 86648: ITS=KF483041, LSU=KF528132; 18701Tell., MA-Fungi 86649: ITS= KF483039, LSU = KF528130; 18704Tell., MA-Fungi 86650: ITS = KF483040, LSU = KF528131; 18743Tell., MA-Fungi 86651: ITS = KF483042, LSU = KF528133; 18761Tell., MA-Fungi 86652: ITS = KF483038, LSU = KF528129. Efibula tuberculata, 16871Tell., MA-Fungi 86621: ITS = KF483011, LSU=KF528102. Phanerochaete sp, 12234MD, MA-Fungi 86625: ITS=KF483014, LSU=KF528105. Phanerochaete xerophila (isotype), MA-Fungi 63223: ITS= KF483056, LSU=KF528147.

Notes – Based on ITS and LSU analysis (Fig. 2), 13 sequences of Efibula rodriguezarmasiae clustered together in its own clade (93% MPBS, 73% MLBS, 1.00 BYPP) and appear as sister species of a clade formed by nine sequences of Efibula americana (85% MPBS, 84% MLBS, 1.00 BYPP). From a morphological point of view, these species can be separated by the shape and size of basidia and spores (Fig. 1). Efibula americana has cylindrical to clavate basidia, 20–32×5–8 µm, and ellipsoid to cylindrical spores, (4.5–)5.3–6.5(–7.3) × (2.3–)3–3.8(–4.5) µm, L/W = 1.71 (Floudas and Hibbett 2015), while E. rodriguezarmasiae has clavate and longer basidia, 35–48×6–8 µm, and ellipsoid and wider spores, 6–7×4–5 µm, L/W=1.4. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analysis indicated that these two species grouped with three sequences of Efibula tuberculata (73% MPBS, 64% MLBS, 1.00 BYPP) that, according to Floudas and Hibbett (2015), can be confused with E. americana without characters to easily separate one from the other. The thirteen collections of the new species have been reported from arid, semiarid or dry zones of the Canary Islands and Morocco where it is frequent and, probably, has been confused with Phanerochaete xerophila (Beltrán-Tejera and Rodríguez-Armas 1999; Beltrán-Tejera et al. 2013).

Figure 1 – Efibula rodriguezarmasiae (17681Tell., MA-Fungi 86635, holotype). a Basidiomata dry specimen. b Hymenophore. c, d Basidiomata young and dry specimen. e Basal hyphae with clamp. f Hyphae with a vesicle. g Basidia, probasidia and subhymenial hyphae with thin crystals. h, i Basidia. j Spores. Efibula rodriguezarmasiae (18761Tell., MA-Fungi 86652). d Basidiomata with little strands. Scale bars: a–d=5 mm, e–j=5 µm

Figure 2 – Phylogram generated from Bayesian analysis based on new generated ITS+LSU sequences data and including sequences from clades 5 (Phanerochaete s.l.) and 6 (Efibula) in Floudas and Hibbett (2015). The sequence of Efibula tropica (paratype) is included (Floudas and Hibbett 2015: Fig. S5B, 1) and Ceriporiopsis aneirina as outgroup. The alignment comprises 2061 characters. Maximum parsimony (MP) and maximum likelihood (ML) analyses were also performed; the tree topologies were similar to the Bayesian one. Bootstrap values for MP and ML analyses equal to or greater than 50%, and posterior probabilities to the Bayesian analysis are labeled on the nodes. The newly generated sequences are in blue bold