Donkia pulcherrima (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Pilát (1937: 328)

Moreno, Gabriel, Blanco, M. Natividad, Platas, Gonzalo, Checa, Julia & Olariaga, Ibai, 2017, Reappraisal of Climacodon (Basidiomycota, Meruliaceae) and reinstatement of Donkia (Phanerochaetaceae) using multigene data, Phytotaxa 291 (3), pp. 171-182 : 178-179

Donkia pulcherrima (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Pilát (1937: 328)

≡ Hydnum pulcherrimum Berkeley & Curtis (1849: 235)

≡ Steccherinum pulcherrimum (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Banker (1906: 129)

≡ Creolophus pulcherrimus (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Banker (1913: 294)

≡ Dryodon pulcherrimus (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Pilát (1934: 315) [as ‚ pulcherrimum ‘], ≡ Climacodon pulcherrimus (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Nikolajeva (1961: 194)

= Hydnum gilvum Berkeley (1851: 168)

= Hydnum uleanum Hennings (1897: 198)

= Hydnum kauffmanii Peck (1907: 348) [as ‚ kauffmani ‘]

= Hydnum australe Lloyd (1919: 11)

= Hydnum duriusculum Lloyd (1922: 1107)

Specimens examined:— BRAZIL. Paraíba State: Mamamguape Municipality, Reserva Biológica Guaribas, Mata Cabeça de Boi, on dead hardwood, March 2002, T. B. Gibertoni 22 (pers. herb. Ryvarden 17620). MALAYSIA. Pahang, Sungei Cheka, 12 June 1931, E.J.H. Corner, (L 0628154). Johore, Mawai, 2 September 1934, E.J.H. Corner (L 0628156). MOROCCO. Chefchaouen, woody residues of Quercus suber , 16 November 2010, J.M.A. Sanz, J. Álvarez, P. Alvarado & J.L. Manjón (AH 39127). PAKISTAN. Swat: Sharhan, on decayed wood, 24 August 1959, S. Ahmad (L 0628151). SINGAPORE. Botanical Gardens, in clusters of horizontal branchlets, 01 September1913, Burkill 88, Lloyd 4923 (BPI US0324672, holotype Hydnum duriusculum Lloyd ; isotype L 0628153). Botanical Gardens, Straits Settlements, at base of living Hevea brasiliensis , 15 June 1914, Burkill 345, Lloyd 4865 (BPI US0324671). Pahang, Tembeling, 07 November 1930, E.J.H. Corner (L 0628155); 17 November 1930, (L 0628157). Botanical Gardens, 16 February 1932, E.J.H. Corner (L 0628152). SPAIN. Bizkaia: Barrutia, Gernika, fallen trunk of Quercus robur , 16 September 2005, R. Picón & I. Salcedo (BIO-Fungi 10896). Cádiz: Los Barrios, trunk of Quercus suber , 21 November 2009, A. Capilla (AH 45800). Alcalá de los Gazules, trunk of Quercus suber , 21 November 2009, A. Capilla (AH 45801). El Cuartón, Tarifa, woody residues of Quercus suber , 02 January 1995, J.R. Sogorb (AH 37734). Jimena de la Frontera, dead branches of Quercus suber , 02 November 2003, M. Madrid (AH 31379). Jimena de la Frontera, dead branches of Quercus suber , 27 November 2004, F. Prieto & M.A. González (AH 31805). Idem, (AH 31973). Gipuzkoa: Hernani, Ugaldetxo, fallen trunk of Quercus rubra , 02 July 2002, J.M. Lekuona (ARAN-Fungi A0000412). Navarre: Goizueta, Exkax, woody residues of Fagus sylvatica , 08 August 2000, J.M. Lekuona (ARAN-Fungi L0002309). Idem (ARAN-Fungi A0000403 duplo in AH 31971).Arano,Abaño, dead trunk of Quercus rubra , 27 June 2002, J.M. Lekuona (ARAN-Fungi A0000403). Goizueta, Artikutza, Elama, 450 m, woody residues of Corylus avellana , 24 August 2004, J.M. Lekuona, J. Huarte, P.M. Pasaban, J.L. Albisu, A. Iñiguez & I. Olariaga (ARAN-Fungi 5011101A, duplicate in AH 31972). Málaga: Ronda, pinar Arroyo del Águila, National Park of Grazalema, trunk of Quercus ilex , 04 December 2003, F. Prieto & M.A. González (AH 31738 duplicate in ARAN-Fungi). UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. South Carolina: Santee River, H.W. Ravenel 1648 (ex herb. Berkeley; holotype K 135348). Florida: Seminole lo., Altamonte springs, on decaying oak log, 25 October 1961, Paul O. Schallot (UPS).

Remarks:— Donkia pulcherrima is macroscopically characterized by its dimidiate basidiomata with a hydnoid hymenophore, a cream to white colour, and sometimes having orange tones ( Fig. 3a–c ). Microscopically, the main diagnostic character is the presence the septa with multiple clamps (2–4) on the context hyphae. The abundant vacuolar contents in the core of the spines ( Fig. 3d–e ), the absence of cystidia, and the small, hyaline, ellipsoid to allantoid spores (4–5 × 1.5–2 μm, Moreno et al. 2007) are also helpful for species identification.

Donkia pulcherrima was described in detail by Moreno et al. (2007) as Climacodon pulcherrimus . This broadly distributed and variable species has been treated under many different names (Maas Gesteranus 1971). Pilát (1937) described leptocystidia for Climacodon pulcherrinus , and did not mention multiple clamp connections in his description. Gibertoni et al. (2004) noted the presence of gloeocystidia, but did not observe multiple clamp connections either. Salcedo et al. (2006) and Moreno et al. (2007), described and photographed multiple clamps at septa. The placement of C. pulcherrimus in Climacodon was questioned by Moreno et al. (2007), who suggested Donkia or Phanerochaete to be more appropriate genera for it. Molecular studies by Larsson (2007) and Papp et al. (2014) showed D. pulcherrima is distantly related to C. septentrionalis , type of Climacodon , and hence, it should be accomodated in the monospecific genus Donkia .

Hydnum pulcherrimum has been combined in, Creolophus , Donkia , Dryodon and Steccherinum , but never in Phanerochaete , albeit the presence of multiple clamps on context hyphae ( Nakasone, 1990). Phanerochaete calotricha (P. Karst.) J. Erikss. & Ryvarden , P. sanguinea (Fr.) Pouzar and P. laevis (Fr.) J. Erikss. & Ryvarden , for instance, possess septa with 2–3 clamps (Erikson et al. 1978). Burdsall (1985) cited this feature for 13 species of Phanerochaete .

Donkia pulcherrima has a mainly tropical to subtropical distribution. It has been reported from Japan, Java, Pakistan, Peninsula Malaysia, Philippines, Sikkim, Singapore and Thailand in Asia ( Pilát, 1937; Maas Gesteranus, 1971), from France ( Candoussau, 1981), Russia (Pilát, 1933; 1937), Spain ( Salcedo et al. 2006; Moreno et al. 2007) and Hungary ( Papp et al. 2014) in Europe. In America, Bononi (1979) and Gibertoni et al. (2004) cited it from Brazil, while Nakasone (1990) and Gilbertson et al. (1975) found it in North America. In the present work, Donkia pulcherrima is cited from North Africa ( Morocco; AH 39127) for the first time.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Donkia pulcherrima. a. Basidiomata (AH 45801); b–c. Detail of context and hydnoid hymenophore (AH 31805); d–e. Pileipellis hyphae with multiple clamp connections at septa (Holotype, K 135348). Bars =1 cm (a); 5 mm (b, c); 10 μm (d, e).