Authors: Renvall, Pertti & Niemelä, Tuomo
Journal: Karstenia, Volume 32 (1992), Issue 1, pages 29-42.
Doi: https://doi.org/10.29203/ka.1992.290
Full text: PDF
Key words: Antrodia infirma, Antrodia primaeva, Boreal, Dichomitus stenospora, Finland, hyphal system, polypores, primeval forest, taxonomy
Abstract: Two new saprotrophic polypore species, Antrodia primaeva Renvall & Niemelä and A. infirma Renvall & Niemelä (Basidiomycetes), are described. They have mostly been collected in northern Finland. Both are associated with brown rot and they have been found almost exclusively on old windfalls of Pinus sylvestris. A. primaeva resembles Dichomitus squalens (Karst.) Reid in having resupinate or effused-reflexed basidiocarps which are white to bay and soft when fresh. The overall structure of A. primaeva is trimitic; the tubes are dimitic, while the subiculum and cap context consist predominantly of generative hyphae, but contain skeletals and scattered binding hyphae close to the tube bottoms and sometimes next to the wood. Dichomitus squalens differs in having arboriform and cyanophilous skeleto-binding hyphae. A. primaeva is microscopically close to A. serialis (Fr.) Donk, but skeletal hyphae are dominant in the context of the latter and its whole structure is tougher. A. infirma is dimitic with very rare skeletal hyphae. A. oleracea (Davidson & Lombard) Ryv. is similar to it, but has shorter basidiospores, shorter and almost pyriform basidia, smaller pores and different hosts. A. infirma is differentiated from Postia rancida (Bres.) Larsen & Lombard and P. placenta (Fr.) Larsen & Lombard by having true skeletals and longer, fusiform basidiospores. The vegetative hyphae of both the new species are unevenly distributed in the basidiocarp. Skeletal hyphae are often found in clusters in the trama, and horizontal sectioning is a useful method for examining their occurrence and distribution. The authors consider that the significance of the structure of hyphal system as one of the basic characters in the taxonomy of polypores requires some re-evaluation. In addition, a new polypore species, Dichomitus stenospora Renvall & Niemelä, is described on the basis of North American material.