Taxonomic Reassessment of Armillariella Mellea in Japan

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Mating intercompatibility and morphological, ecological, and cultural characters were studies on Armillariella mellea (= Armillaria mellea) sensu lato in Japan to clarify its taxonomy. Mating tests with monosporous isolates obtained from 61 basidiocarps showed that the Japanese "A. mellea" is composed of at least six intersterile groups (tentatively designated as A, B, C, D, E, and AM, respectively). They were morphologically distinguishable each other. The presence or absence of clamp-connections at the base of basidium, nature of scales on the pileus, habit of the basidiocarp, nature of the annulus, and color of the pileus were found to be primary significant in separating the intersterile groups morphologically. Ecological characters such as the fruiting season, habitat, and substrate seemed to be distinctive in group A, group C, and group AM. In cultures of diploid isolates belonging to each group (on PDA and 2% MEA, at 25 C in the darkness, in 30 days), group AM showed characteristic gross morphology of colony on both PDA and MEA and were easily distinguished from other groups in this character. Based on morphological and ecological characters, group AM and group C were identified as Armillaria mellea (Vahl : Fr.) Kummer s. str. and A. ostoyae (Romagnesi) Herink, respectively. Group B and group E were considered to be a new species, respectively. Nomenclature of group A and group D remained uncertain, although the former and the latter are similar to A. lutea Gillet and A. cepistipes Velenovsky, respectively.