A new Stereoid Basidiomycete Record for Türkiye; Xylobolus illudens (Berk.) Boidin

Russulales, one of the 12 orders in Homobasidiomycetes, classified by DNA-based advanced molecular techniques and morphological characteristics, also includes Stereoid fungi, an artificial group of mostly resupinate, stipitate basidiomata, flat hymenophores and hyaline spores. This study has focuses on the micro and macro characters of the Turkish specimen of Xylobolus illudens, which was transferred from the genus Stereum to the genus Xylobolus by Kew Mycology in 2015, found on a branch fragment near the dam lake in Bayramiç district, Çanakkale, in January 2025. During the field studies, the macroscopic data of the specimen were meticulously examined and recorded. Then the microscopic characteristics of the specimen, which was turned into fungarium material, were examined in the laboratory. As a result of macroscopic and microscopic examinations, the specimen was identified as Xylobolus illudens. It was determined that it is a new record for the mycobiota of the country. Microscopic characters of the macrofungus (basidia, spores, cystid structures, etc.) were drawn using the CorelDRAW drawing program to make the micromorphological features more understandable. Xylobolus has 11 species worldwide, and there is only one species in Türkiye. With this study, the number of species of the genus in the country has been increased to two, thus contributing to the mycobiota of Türkiye.