Gloeopeniophorella luteola C. L. Zhao sp. nov.

Figs 4, 5, 6, 7

Diagnosis.

It is characterized by its membranaceous, thin basidiomata with smooth hymenial surface, a monomitic hyphal system with simple septa, generative hyphae and gloeocystidia, thick-walled basidiospores measuring 4–4.9 × 3.8–4.4 µm.

Holotype.

China • Yunnan Province, Dehong, Ruili City, Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve, GPS coordinates 23°38'N, 97°51'E, altitude 1500 m asl., on the fallen angiosperm branches, leg. C. L. Zhao, 24 November 2024, CLZhao 42933 (SWFC 00042933).

Etymology.

luteola (Lat.) refers to the buff hymenial surface of the type specimens.

Basidiomata.

Basidiomata annual, resupinate, membranaceous, without odor or taste when fresh, up to 7.5 cm long, 1 cm wide, and up to 150 µm thick. Hymenial surface smooth, white to cream when fresh, cream to buff upon drying. Sterile margin white, thinning out, up to 1 mm wide.

Hyphal system.

Hyphal system monomitic; generative hyphae bearing simple septa, slightly thick-walled, colorless, all hyphae occasionally branched, flexuous, 2.5–3.5 µm in diameter, IKI –, CB –; tissues unchanged in KOH.

Hymenium. Gloeocystidia two types: 1) clavate to subglobose, colorless, smooth, thick-walled, 11–28.5 × 6–13 µm; 2) fusiform to cylindrical, abundant, smooth, colorless, thick-walled, basally inflated and slightly tapering towards the apices, filled with some refractive matter, 28–90.5 × 7.5–13.5 µm. Basidia cylindrical, colorless, thick-walled, with four sterigmata and a basal simple septum, 24–36 × 5–7 µm, basidioles in shape similar to basidia, but slightly smaller.

Basidiospores. Basidiospores globose, colorless, thick-walled, smooth to verrucose, IKI +, CB –, (3.8 –) 4–4.9 (– 5) × (3.4 –) 3.8–4.4 (– 4.8) µm, L = 4.44 µm, W = 4.09 µm, Q = 1.08–1.09 (n = 60 / 2).

Additional specimen examined (paratype).

China • Yunnan Province, Dehong, Ruili City, Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve, GPS coordinates 23°38'N, 97°51'E, altitude 1500 m asl., on the fallen angiosperm branches, leg. C. L. Zhao, 5 November 2025, CLZhao 48909 (SWFC 00048909).

The application of the PHI test to the ITS tree-locus sequences revealed no evidence of recombination among phylogenetically related species. No significant recombination events were observed among Gloeopeniophorella luteola and phylogenetically closely related species (Fig. 7). The test results of the ITS sequence dataset show Φw = 0.8642 (Φw> 0.05) and that no recombination is present in the three new species with G. luteola.