Scleroderma gaibeioides Kun L. Yang, Jia Y. Lin, Shi-Yong Huang & Zhu L. Yang 2025, sp. nov.

(2.2) Scleroderma gaibeioides Kun L. Yang, Jia Y. Lin, Shi-Yong Huang & Zhu L. Yang, sp. nov. (Fig. 11) Registration identifier:— FN572387 Etymology:— gaibei = chicken drumsticks in cantonese, referring to the shape and color of the basidiomata of this fungus. Diagnosis:— Differing from S. aureum, S. endoxanthum, S. solare, S. xanthochroum and S. zengchengense by the presence of a stipe 15–40 mm long, from S. flavidum by the smaller basidiospores, and from S. sinnamariense by the smaller basidiospores, Asian distribution and the distinct ITS sequence. Type:— China, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, Tianhe District, exact location unknown, June 19, 2023, Shi-Yong Huang, Kun L. Yang et al., S23172 (HKAS145956, holotype (deposited in the Herbarium of Cryptogams in Kunming Institute of Botany of Chinese Academy of Sciences; ITS: PV059118; nrLSU: PV054242); HTBM0415, isotype). Description:— Basidiomata small to medium-sized, 28–54 mm in diameter, 23–33 mm in height including a stipe 15–40 mm long, subglobose to tuberiform; odor fungal; taste unknown. Peridium leathery, 2–5 mm thick, brick orange (#ECE2B4), desert orange (#E8D7B0) to mongoose brown (#B5A284), with a milky yellow (#FFF07A) to sun orange (#FCD742) context, becoming darker after damaged, nearly smooth. Gleba compact at first, becoming pulverulent, dull lavender purple (#75647A), coal blue (#40474D) to dull black (#0B0C0E). Basal rhizomorphs abundant, yellowish. Basidiospores {40/2/2} 6.5–8.5 [7.55 ± 0.60, 7.50] µm in diameter including ornamentation, mostly globose, rarely subglobose, thick-walled, with verrucose to echinulate ornamentation 0.5–1 µm high, brownish to purplish, often surrounded by remnants of placental cells. Basidia collapsed. Gleba trama composed of 2–5 μm wide, thin-walled to slightly thick-walled, nearly colorless to slightly brownish, compact, moderately branching, subregularly arranged to interwoven hyphae with clamp connections. Peridial surface composed of 3–8 μm wide, thin-walled to slightly thick-walled, yellowish to brownish, moderately compact, moderately branching, interwoven hyphae with clamp connections. Peridial trama composed of 3–9 μm wide, slightly thick-walled, nearly colorless to slightly yellowish, compact, moderately to frequently branching, subregularly arranged to interwoven hyphae with clamp connections. Habits and distribution:— Gregarious, on soil, in subtropical forests, associated with plants of Fagaceae. Currently known from Asia (China) with molecular evidence. Other collection examined:— China, Guangdong Province, Shenzhen City, Futian District, Meilin Houshan, exact location unknown, June 12, 2023, Yu-Jun Cai, Kun L. Yang et al., S23131 (HTBM0374). Notes:— This is one of the numerous cryptic species recognized in the S. sinnamariense complex, but as suggested by the current phylogeny (Fig. 1), true S. sinnamariense has only been recognized in South America with molecular evidence. Therefore, the so-called “ S. sinnamariense ” previously recorded in Asia, especially in South and Southeast Asia, frequently known as an edible species but WITHOUT DEFINITIVE EVIDENCE, should actually be other similar species like S. endoxanthum, S. gaibeioides, S. solare, S. xanthochroum and S. zengchengense (Zhang 1984, Mao 2006, Christensen et al. 2008, Dai et al. 2010, Wu et al. 2011, Wu et al. 2019, Wei et al. 2021, Karun et al. 2022, Khastini et al. 2022).