Armillaria korhonenii, the sixteenth biological species of Armillaria from China

Abstract

Armillaria korhonenii, designated as Chinese biological species Q (CBSQ) here, is described as a new species based on phylogenetic and morphological evidence as well as the results of mating tests. This species is the sixteenth biological species of Armillaria reported from China following the discovery of 15 previously known biological species. Phylogenetically, A. korhonenii is the earliest divergent lineage of the genus Armillaria as inferred from the nucleotide sequences of the Elongation Factor 1-Alpha (EF1a). Morphologically, it is characterized by its ellipsoid to elongate basidiospores, yellowish orange to honey yellow pileus with fibrillose squamules. Mating tests indicated that A. korhonenii is a tetrapolar heterogeneous species and is inter-sterile with all the tested species except partial compatibility with CBSH.