Similiboletinus tomentopileatus gen. et sp. nov. from Tropical China, a New Boletoid Taxon Based on Morphological and Molecular Data

Boletaceae, a family of profound ecological influence and economic value, has been the subject of prolific taxonomic research over the past decade, with new taxa continually being discovered. In this study, <i>Similiboletinus tomentopileatus</i> gen. et sp. nov., collected from a tropical region of China, is proposed based on integrative morphological and phylogenetic analyses. Phylogenetic analyses of a multigene dataset (LSU-<i>rpb2</i>-<i>tef1-α</i>-<i>atp6</i>) strongly support the position of <i>Similiboletinus</i> within the Suillelloideae. Morphologically, it is characterized by a tomentose and yellow-brown pileus, a subdecurrent hymenophore, unchanging context when injured, a boletoid hymenophoral trama, a cutis-type pileipellis, and broadly ellipsoid to ovoid basidiospores. The identification of <i>Similiboletinus</i> further underscores the striking and largely unexplored diversity of Boletaceae within tropical China.