Taxonomy and phylogeny of Hymenochaete and allied genera of Hymenochaetaceae (Basidiomycota) in China

The taxonomy and phylogeny of Hymenochaete and its allied genera in Hymenochaetaceae in China are studied based on morphological characters and molecular analysis. The morphology of more than 1200 specimens were studied and 123 ITS sequences (including 104 new sequences) of 71 taxa and 94 nLSU rDNA sequences (including 51 new sequences) of 78 taxa of Hymenochaetaceae were used in the phylogenetic analysis. Three new species, Hymenochaete huangshanensis , H. minor and H. tropica are introduced. The genus Pseudochaete is supported by the data presented here, with inclusion of an additional seven species transferred herein from Hymenochaete , Hydnochaete and Cyclomyces . Three species of Hydnochaete and two species of Cyclomyces studied nested within the Hymenochaete clade, and combinations of five species from the two former genera to Hymenochaete are proposed. According to our results, Hymenochaete is a morphologically variable genus composed of taxa with corticioid, hydnoid, lamellate and poroid hymenophores, and this would be the same for Pseudochaete with more taxa included. Fifty species of Hymenochaete and eight species of Pseudochaete have so far been found in China, and identification keys to the two genera are provided.