Gomphus indicus S. Singh, S. Kumar, K. Verma & Y.P. Sharma

Singh, Shiny, Verma, Komal, Kumar, Sanjeev & Sharma, Yash Pal, 2024, Gomphus indicus, a new species of Gomphaceae from Northwestern Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir, India, Phytotaxa 652 (1), pp. 69-77 : 73-75

Gomphus indicus S. Singh, S. Kumar, K. Verma & Y.P. Sharma sp. nov. Figures 3 & 4 .

MycoBank:—MB850867

GenBank:—nrITS OR563689, OR568453, nrLSU OQ786786, OQ781891.

Diagnosis:— Gomphus indicus can be distinguished from the other closely related species by its infundibuliform to flabelliform pileus with greyish yellow to light yellow pileus colour, wrinkled rugose pileus surface, cylindrical to bacilliform large basidiospores with irregular isolated warts, pileipellis composed of thin-walled, loosely interwoven hyphae, its occurrence under Abies pindrow and Cedrus deodara as well as its sequence data (nrITS and nrLSU).

Type:— India, Jammu and Kashmir: Doda district, Bhaderwah , Ramtund , 32°55’9.97”N & 75°42’10.07”E, elev. 2610m, 25 July 2022, Shiny Singh , Sanjeev Kumar and Yash Pal Sharma , CAL 1971 , holotype (HBJU/M/108) ( SSB05 ).

Etymology:—The specific epithet refers to its geographical occurrence ‘India’.

Description: —Basidiomata medium-sized, up to 130 mm high, generally vase-shaped with depression in the center with wavy and lobed edges, 2–3 basidiomes rising from a common stalk, pseudorhizoidal. Pileus 35–100 mm, infundibuliform when young becoming flabelliform or obconical (trumpet-shaped) to slightly applanate at maturity with wavy irregular, cracked margins, pileus surface dry, wrinkled rugose, greyish yellow (4B3–4C3), ash blonde (3C3–3C4), light yellow (4A4) to dull yellow towards margin, center greyish orange (5B4) to brownish orange (5C3– 5C4) turning brown (5E5–5E6) upon drying, upon maturity pileus center splitting. Hymenophore light violet (18A5) to greyish violet (18C4), becoming violet-brown (11E7) with 10% KOH; decurrent, wrinkled, longitudinal ridges higher towards center, forking, entire, interconnected inter-veins present. Stipe solid, cylindrical to subclavate, flared at junction continuous with the pileus, 25–100 × 15–20 mm, concolorous with hymenophore, becoming violet-brown (11E7) with 10% KOH; sometimes having distant patches of paler off-white areas (2A3) on lower stipe surface. Pileus context 2–7 mm thick, pale yellow to dull yellow (3B3), thick at the center thin towards the margins. Stipe context 12–17 mm thick, leathery, tough, dark blond (4C4) to yellow ochre (4C7). Taste mild. Odour indistinct. Spore print yellowish orange.

Basidiospores [60/3/2] 15–18.1–21.5 × 6–6.7–8 µm, Q = 2.14–3.58, Qm= 2.69 ± 0.31; cylindrical to bacilliform, light brownish in 10% KOH, dark yellowish brown in Melzer’s reagent; warts 0.4–0.7µm high, irregular, isolated. Basidia 75–90 × 9–14 µm, clavate, 2–4 spored; sterigmata, 4–6 µm long. Basidioles 8.5–9.5 µm wide, thin walled, paraphysoid, guttulated. Hymenium composed of pigmented paraphysoid basidioles, narrowly clavate basidioles and basidia. Hymenial trama composed of thin-walled clamed hyphae, arranged in congested semi-definable layers, with brown amorphous deposits. Hymenial cystidia absent. Pileipellis 65–150 µm thick, composed of thin-walled, scattered, radially arranged tuft-like branched, loosely interwoven hyphae, 3.5–6 µm wide; terminal hyphae 3–5 µm thick, trichome-like with pointed apex; clamp connections present. Stiptipellis 35–45 µm thick, composed of slend, pigmented, tightly interwoven, branched, thin-walled hyphae 2–2.5 µm, clamp connections present.

Habit and habitat:—Caespitose, gregarious, scattered in small groups on forest floor of coniferous forest of Abies pindrow and Cedrus deodara .

Additional specimen examined:— INDIA. Jammu and Kashmir: district Doda, Jai Ghati, 33° 1’35.24”N 75°46’2.86”E, elev. 2406m, 03 August 2022, Shiny Singh, Sanjeev Kumar and Yash Pal Sharma, SSB05. Kathua district, Panyalaq, Bani, 32°2′36.48″N, 75°50′24.99″E, elev. 1730m, 25 August 2022, SSB07, Shiny Singh and Komal Verma (HBJU/M/109).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Gomphus indicus (SSB05) a–b. Basidiomata in the field; c. Basidiomata showing the wrinkled hymenophore; d. Basidia; e. Basidiospores observed in Melzer’s reagent; f. Basidioles; g. Pileipellis hyphae; h. Pigmented pileipellis hyphae and globose cells observed in water mount i–j. SEM images of basidiospores showing warted ornamentation. Scale bars: a–c = 50 mm, d–h = 10 μm. i = 5 μm, j–k = 2 μm. Photos by Sanjeev Kumar and Shiny Singh

FIGURE 4. Gomphus indicus (SSB05) a. Basidia; b. Basidioles; c. Pileipellis hyphae; d. Basidiospores.Scale bars:a–d = 10 μm. Drawings by Shiny Singh.