Vararia sinensis Y.L. Deng & C.L. Zhao, 2024

Deng, Yinglian, Jabeen, Sana & Zhao, Changlin, 2024, Species diversity and taxonomy of Vararia (Russulales, Basidiomycota) with descriptions of six species from Southwestern China, MycoKeys 103, pp. 97-128 : 97

Vararia sinensis Y.L. Deng & C.L. Zhao sp. nov.

Figs 11 , 12

Holotype.

China. Yunnan Province, Lincang, Yun County, Dumu Village, 24°39'79"N, 100°18'17"E, altitude 1960 m a.s.l., on the fallen angiosperm branch, leg. C.L. Zhao, 20 October 2022, CLZhao 25160 (SWFC).

Etymology.

Sinensis (Lat.): referring to the locality (China) of the type specimen.

Description.

Basidiomata annual, membranous, and adnate, up to 70 mm long, 35 mm wide, and 80-160 µm thick. Hymenial surface smooth, white to slightly pink when fresh, pink upon drying. Sterile margin thinning out, narrow, whitish, attached, and up to 1 mm.

Hyphal system dimitic, generative hyphae bearing simple-septa, colorless, thin-walled, branched, 2.5-3 µm diameter, IKI-, CB-, tissues unchanged in KOH. Dichohyphae predominant, yellowish, thick-walled, dichotomously to irregularly branched with main branches up to 1.4 μm in diameter and with acute tips, moderately dextrinoid in Melzer’s reagent, CB-, tissues unchanged in KOH, dichohyphae in hymenium similar to those in subiculum but more branched, with more narrow and shorter branches, with slightly curved tips and stronger, subhymenial hyphae densely covered by crystals. Skeletal hyphae rarely branched, interwoven, colorless, thick-walled, 2-3 µm in diameter, IKI-, CB-, tissues unchanged in KOH.

Gloeocystidia subulate, smooth, colorless, thin-walled, filled with refractive oil-like matter, 17-35 × 6-7 μm. Basidia clavate, with four sterigmata and a basal simple septum connection, 25-35 × 6-7 μm; basidioles dominant, in shape similar to basidia, but slightly smaller.

Basidiospores sub-fusiform to navicular, with a beaklike extension, colorless, smooth, with numerous oil-drops, thin-walled, IKI-, CB-, 6-11 × 4-6 µm, L = 8.21 µm, W = 4.88 µm, Q = 1.66-1.71 (n = 60/2).

Additional specimen examined

(paratype). China. Yunnan Province, Lincang, Yun County, Dumu Village. GPS coordinates: 24°39'79"N, 100°18'17"E, altitude 1960 m a.s.l., on the fallen angiosperm branch, leg. C.L. Zhao, 20 October 2022, CLZhao 25161 (SWFC).

Figures

Figure 11. Basidiomata of Vararia sinensis (holotype). Scale bars: 1 cm (A); 1 mm (B).

Figure 12. Microscopic structures of Vararia sinensis (holotype) A basidiospores B basidioles C basidia D dichohyphae E gloeocystidia subulate F a section of hymenium. Scale bars: 10 µm (A-F).