New wood‑inhabiting fungi discovered in Qinling Mountains

During a recent field campaign in the Qinling Mountains, researchers collected several specimens of crust‑like fruiting bodies growing on decaying logs in Zhashui County and Shangzhou District ¹.net]. The team—comprising Le‑Le Wan, Lan‑Shuo Zhang, Jun‑Hong Dong, Long Zeng, Shun Liu, and Bao‑Kai Cui—identified three previously undescribed taxa of wood‑inhabiting corticioid fungi ¹.net].

The newly described species are Hymenochaete zhashuiensis, Hyphoderma brevicystidiatum, and Steccherinum shangzhouense. Hymenochaete zhashuiensis is characterized by effused‑reflexed basidiomata with a reddish to rust‑brown cracked hymenial surface, abundant dark brown setae, dendrohyphidia, and ellipsoid to broadly ellipsoid basidiospores measuring 4–5.6 × 2.8–3.5 µm ¹.net]. Hyphoderma brevicystidiatum displays resupinate basidiomata that are white to cream with a smooth hymenial surface and short generative hyphae, while Steccherinum shangzhouense shows distinct spore ornamentation and clamp connections in its generative tissue ¹.net].

To confirm the phylogenetic placement of these new taxa, the authors performed combined ITS+nLSU analyses using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference methods ¹.net]. The resulting trees placed each species within their respective genera, supporting morphological distinctions and revealing subtle genetic divergence among closely related corticioids.

From an ecological perspective, wood‑inhabiting fungi such as Hymenochaete zhashuiensis play crucial roles in decomposing woody material, thereby influencing nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems ¹.net]. By breaking down lignocellulosic components, they facilitate carbon turnover and create habitats for other organisms, underscore the importance of cataloguing fungal diversity for conservation planning ¹.net].

In summary, Wan et al.’s work adds three novel corticioid species to the global mycological record, demonstrates the value of integrative taxonomy combining morphology with multilocus phylogenetics, and underscores the broader ecological significance of wood‑decomposing fungi in temperate Asian forests.