Two new species of Pluteus (Pluteaceae, Agaricales) from India and additional observations on Pluteus chrysaegis

Two new species of Pluteus collected in Kerala State (India) are described based on morphological and molecular (nrITS) characters. Pluteus brunneosquamulosus of sect. Celluloderma is characterized by the squamulose, ??Lepiota-like??, pileus, subglobose to broadly ellipsoid spores, cheilocystidia with a long flexuous neck and lageniform or narrowly utriform caulocystidia. Pluteus velutinus belongs in sect. Hispidoderma and is unique in its shallowly depressed, hygrophanous, orange-brown, \velvety, squamulose pileus, the pleurocystidia very commonly provided with an apical digitate projection up to 10???m long or tapering towards apex and the pileipellis as a trichoderm or trichohymeniderm. P. chrysaegis from India and P. conizatus var. africanus from Africa are considered synonymous based on morphological and molecular evidence.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pluteus magnus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pluteus podospileus</Emphasis> f. <Emphasis Type="Italic">podospileus</Emphasis>, two agaric species new to Japan

Two taxa of the genus Pluteus, i.e., Pluteus magnus and Pluteus podospileus f. podospileus, are newly recorded from Japan. The macroscopic and microscopic features of these two species are described and illustrated.     

Aristolochia bhamoensis sp. nov. (Aristolochiaceae) and a diagnostic key to all known A. subgen. Siphisia species from Myanmar

Aristolochia bhamoensis from Myanmar is here described and illustrated. This new species is morphologically similar to A. faviogonzalezii (confined to northern Vietnam) and A. cathcartii (growing in the Himalayan region) but is distinguished from the latter two species by having a cream‐white upper part of the perianth tube, with visible purple ridges, a trumpet‐shaped limb, 5.0–5.5 cm diameter, inner surface of limb lobes densely covered with dark‐purple bristles, a nearly circular mouth, 3.2–3.5 cm wide, upper half of throat being dark‐purple to blackish, without striations or dots, and lower half purple, with conspicuous white striation. Morphological characters such as a 3‐lobed gynostemium and a 3‐lobed limb support a placement of the new species in the subgenus Siphisia. A diagnostic key is provided to the seven Siphisia species known from Myanmar.     

Memecylon trunciflorum sp. nov. (Melastomataceae–Olisbeoideae) from the Udzungwa Mountains,southern Tanzania

Described and illustrated is Memecylon trunciflorum R. D. Stone, an evidently localized endemic of the Udzungwa Mountains in southern Tanzania. The new species was previously confused with the vegetatively similar but distantly related M. erythranthum Gilg and M. semseii A. Fern. & R. Fern., from which it is distinguished by its anther connectives bearing a dorsal oil‐gland and by its ellipsoid to obovoid fruits (vs anther connective gland absent and fruits globose in M. erythranthum and M. semseii). The new species is placed in M. sect. Magnifoliata R. D. Stone together with M. magnifoliatum A. Fern. & R. Fern., from which it differs by its smaller leaves mostly 9.5–15.0 × 3.5–6.0 cm (vs 18–35 × 8–13 cm), transverse veins 8–18 pairs (vs 25–28 pairs), short‐pedunculate inflorescences with secondary axes well developed (vs peduncles and secondary axes absent), white flowers (vs bluish purple), and smaller fruits mostly 11.5–14.5 × 9–11 mm on longer fruiting pedicels 8.0–13.5 mm (vs fruits 17–20 × 12–14 mm on pedicels 5.0–7.5 mm). Despite its local endemism, Memecylon trunciflorum has been assessed as ‘Least Concern’ according to IUCN criteria, although this assessment is dependent on the continued safeguarding of the Udzungwa Mountains National Park.     

Gaultheria marronina sp. nov. (Ericaceae) from Sichuan,China

Gaultheria marronina, a new species from the Hengduan Mountain chain of western Sichuan Province, China, is described and illustrated. This species is similar to G. bryoides P. W. Fritsch & L. H. Zhou from the Gaoligong Mountains in its white fleshy calyx with a maroon capsule but differs in its stem setae 0.34–0.50 mm long, petioles 0.4–0.6 mm long, leaf blades 5.1–6.2 × 2.1–3.1 mm, overwintering flower bud pedicels 0.6–0.8 mm long, calyx lobes 2.2–3.0 mm long, and usually slightly open fruiting calyx, among other characters. The species is known only from two widely separated unprotected populations and is categorized as endangered.     

Aspidistra albiflora sp. nov. (Asparagaceae) from southwestern Guangxi,China

Aspidistra albiflora C. R. Lin, W. B. Xu & Yan Liu (Asparagaceae) is described and illustrated as a new species from limestone areas in Guangxi, China. The new species is similar to A. cerina G. Z. Li & S. C. Tang, but differs in having the perianth white by the sides, white pistils, bracts longer than the perianth, anthers only 2 mm long, pistil obconical and stigma slightly enlarged, 4–5 mm in diameter. The new species is currently only known from the type locality in southwestern Guangxi, near the border to northern Vietnam.     

Aspidistra lingyunensis sp. nov. (Asparagaceae) from limestone areas in Guangxi,China

Aspidistra lingyunensis C. R. Lin & L. F. Guo (Asparagaceae) is described and illustrated as a new species from limestone areas in northwestern Guangxi, China. It resembles A. obconica C. R. Lin & Yan Liu in leaf size and its obconical and purplish red pistil, but differs by having a yellowish white perianth, with lobes oblong, explanate, 6–7 mm long, subequal to tube and a white stigma surface, ca 3 mm in diameter. The new species is rare, currently known only from northwestern Guangxi.     

Microchirita ruthiae sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from Peninsular Malaysia

A new species Microchirita ruthiae Rafidah (Gesneriaceae) from limestone in Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia, is described and illustrated. This new species is characterized by having a branched stem, inflorescences with 1–4 flowers, the flowers with a white corolla (rarely faintly tinged with pale purple), glistening pale brown glandular hairs inside the throat, free anthers, and hairy capsules. Its conservation status following IUCN categories and criteria is assessed as ‘Endangered’ (EN).     

Petrocodon retroflexus sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from a karst cave in Guizhou,China

Petrocodon retroflexus Q. Zhang & J. Guo, a new species of Gesneriaceae from Guizhou, China, is described and illustrated. The new species is morphologically similar to Petrocodon viridescens W. H. Chen, Mich. Möller & Y. M. Shui, but differs by its leaf blade being ovate, broadly ovate to elliptic, 8–20 × 5–15 cm and densely pilose on both surfaces, narrowly triangular, 9 mm long, densely pilose bracts, white corolla that is decurved near the middle, with adaxial lip shallowly 4‐partitioned and retroflexed, and pistil ca 1.3 cm long and densely pilose and glandular‐pilose.     

Aristolochia bidoupensis sp. nov. from southern Vietnam

Aristolochia bidoupensis Do sp. nov. is newly described. This new species, currently only known from southern Vietnam, is most similar to Aristolochia faviogonzalezii (northern Vietnam) and A. moupinensis (China), but can be distinguished from the latter two by the following characters: flowers terminal, axillary, solitary, peduncle 1.3–1.5 cm long, bracteole ovate, 3–4 × 2–3 mm, limb discoid‐shaped with three expanded lobes, not revolute, internal surface uniformly dark purple, smooth, throat uniformly golden without dots. Morphological characters such as a 3‐lobed gynostemium and a 3‐lobed limb place the new species in A. subgen. Siphisia.     

Ilex sanqingshanensis sp. nov. (Aquifoliaceae) from Jiangxi Province,China

Ilex sanqingshanensis, a new species of Aquifoliaceae from Jiangxi, China, is described and illustrated with morphological characteristics and ultrastructure of pollen grains. The new species is easily distinguished from the most similar species I. wugongshanensis C. J. Tseng ex S. K. Chen et Y. X. Feng by having smaller leaves that are elliptic, ovate or elliptic‐ovate, with shorter (0.5–1.0 vs 2–3 mm) teeth on the leaf margin, longer pedicels of staminate flowers (2.0–3.5 vs 1.5 mm), smaller pyrenes (3.5–4.0 × 2.0–2.5 vs 4.5–5.0 × 3.0 mm), and woody pyrenes (vs stony pyrenes).     

Schizostachyum yalyense sp. nov. and S. ninhthuanense sp. nov. (Gramineae: Bambusoideae) from Vietnam

Two new species of Schizostachyum Nees (Poaceae: Bambusoideae): S. yalyense N. H. Xia, V. T. Tran et H. N. Nguyen and Schizostachyum ninhthuanense N. H. Xia, V. T. Tran et H. N. Nguyen (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) are described and illustrated from Vietnam. Schizostachyum yalyense is similar to S. lima (Blanco) Merrill, but differs by culm sheaths with a concave apex 4–5 cm wide and 1.0–1.5 cm deep, pseudospikelets clustered on the wholly leafless flowering branches, possession of 2 bracts and lodicules. Schizostachyum ninhthuanense is related to S. hainanense Merrill ex McClure, but differs by culm sheaths covered with white hairs and having white–brown hairs at the apex, ligule margin densely pale‐ciliate, pseudospikelets clustered on wholly leafless flowering branches, presence of 3 lodicules, two stigmas apically on the style and the third stigma branching off from one of the two other stigmas.     

Michelia sonlaensis Q.N. Vu,sp. nov. (Magnoliaceae) from northern Vietnam

Michelia sonlaensis Q.N. Vu, a new species of Michelia from Son La province, northern Vietnam is described. The new species is assigned to the genus Michelia (separated from Magnolia), subfamily Magnolioideae based on general morphology. It is closely similar to M. xianianhei and M. mannii, but differs mainly in having a leaf‐lamina that is elliptic, thinly leathery, larger, with lower surface yellowish white villous (easily visible by eyes and feeling by hand), brachyblasts and outside bracts yellowish‐white sericeous, flowers light green to cream white in colour, and nine tepals with the outside of all tepals silky hairy at base.     

SOME PRYMNESIACEAE (HAPTOPHYTA,PRYMNESIOPHYCEAE) FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA,WITH THE DESCRIPTION OF TWO NEW SPECIES: CHRYSOCHROMULINA LANCEOLATA SP. NOV. AND C. PSEUDOLANCEOLATA SP. NOV.1

Five species belonging to the family Prymnesiaceae (one Prymnesium and four Chrysochromulina) have been identified in cultures obtained from water collected in the Bay of Banyuls‐sur‐Mer (Mediterranean Sea, France) using LM, SEM, and TEM. Two are described as new species, Chrysochromulina lanceolata sp. nov. and C. pseudolanceolata sp. nov. Both species are large and lanceolate with an acute posterior and two anterior arms. They are easily detectable with LM but difficult to distinguish to species level with live cells, without experience. EM reveals two completely different scale patterns in the two species. Cells of C. lanceolata are 21–38 μm long, 7–12 μm wide, and 3–7 μm thick. They possess two subequal flagella (30–51 and 29–44 μm), and the haptonema is shorter than the flagella (23–37 μm). The cell body is covered by plate and spine scales. Cells of C. pseudolanceolata sp. nov. are slightly smaller (15–18 × 6–8 μm) with more rounded extremities, two subequal flagella (19–26 and 17–24 μm), and the haptonema is longer than the flagella (about 35 μm). Three types of plate scales are observed in this species. Other findings are C. alifera Parke et Manton and C. throndsenii Eikrem (a new record for the Mediterranean Sea). Prymnesium faveolatum Fresnel, a new toxic species recently described, is illustrated with both LM and SEM.     

Microbiological Studies on a New Species of Oospora,Oospora astringenes nov. sp.

Investigation was made on the mycological properties of a species of Oospora which was isolated from the air of bronchial asthma patient’s room, Tokyo, Japan.

This species was considered to be a new one and named as Oospora astringenes nov. sp. On the malt extract glucose agar at room temperature, the colonies appear velvety, powdery and white. Conidia are ellipsoidal or cylindrical, mostly 7.0×4.3 µ in size, hyaline.

This new species utilizes only organic compounds as a sole source of nitrogen and its growth is markedly stimulated by the addition of some vitamins.     

Primulina suichuanensis sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from Danxia landform in Jiangxi,China

Primulina suichuanensis X. L. Yu & J. J. Zhou, a new species of Gesneriaceae from Jiangxi, China, is described and illustrated. Morphologically, the new species is most similar to P. roseoalba, but differs by entire leaf blade margin, narrowly ovate bracts, reddish–purple or bluish–purple corolla, 3.0–3.4 cm long corolla tube, white filaments, and 3.6 cm long pistil. It flowers from September to November.     

Maclurochloa trangdinhensis (Poaceae: Bambusoideae), a new species from northern Vietnam

A clambering bamboo endemic to northern Vietnam is shown to represent a new species, M. trangdinhensis H.N.Nguyen & V.T.Tran (Gramineae: Bambusoideae‐Bambusinae), which is described and illustrated. It is similar to M. tonkinensis in general appearance, but differs by being covered with appressed white hairs, and by auricles lacking or forming a low rim only, smaller leaf blade 20–24 × 2.3–2.5 cm, and smaller glumes 6–7 × 4.0–4.5 mm. A key to all species of the genus is included.