Morphological and phylogenetic analyses reveal three new species of Neosarcodon (Thelephorales, Basidiomycota) from China.

The species diversity and phylogenetic relationships of the genus Neosarcodon in subtropical regions of southern China remain insufficiently explored. In this study, three new Neosarcodon species are illustrated and described from the subtropical regions of southern China, based on both morphological evidence and multigene phylogenetic analyses by the internal transcribed spacer regions (nrITS), the large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nrLSU) and the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (rpb2). Neosarcodon chebalingensis is characterised by its orange-grey to brownish-grey basidiomata with a glabrous to subtomentose pileus, orange-grey spines changing to bluish-black when bruised, subglobose basidospores, measuring 7.5-10.5 × (7)7.5-9.5(10) μm; Neosarcodon nanlingensis is characterised by its grey to greyish-brown basidiomata with glabrous pileus, dark-blond to oak-brown spines, changing to dark-grey when bruised, subglobose basidospores measuring 8-10(11) × (7.5)8-9.5(10) μm; Neosarcodon velutinus is characterised by its violet-grey to dark-violet basidiomata with a velvety pileus, golden-grey to brownish-grey spines changing to dull-violet to greyish-violet when bruised, subglobose to broadly ellipsoid basidospores measuring 6.5-8.5(9) × 5.5-8 μm. Phylogenetic analysis well supported the three species as new members of Neosarcodon. A key to the Chinese Neosarcodon species was also provided in the present study. This study enriches the documented species diversity of the genus and expands our understanding of morphological variation within Neosarcodon.