The first record of Veluticeps Berkeleyi (Basidiomycetes) in the mediterranean

Abstract

Veluticeps berkeleyi was known from Northern and Central America, Taiwan and Japan till now. The fungus is associated with brown-rotted wood and causes a brown cubical heartrot on ponderosa pine in America and yellow cypress in Taiwan and Japan. Our specimens were collected from the southern Mediterranean and the west northern parts of Turkey, which is the first finding in the Mediterranean. The fungus was collected on stumps of Junipcrus excelsa and J. foetidissima, which are new hosts. Our collections differ from others in having smaller spores.

Full text

ÓÄÊ 582.284.99(4—015)
©H.H.Doðan,1M. Karadelev2
THE FIRST RECORD OF VELUTICEPS BERKELEYI (BASIDIOMYCETES)
IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
ÄÎÃÀÍÕ.Õ., ÊÀÐÀÄÅËÅÂÌ. ÏÅÐÂÀß ÍÀÕÎÄÊÀ VELUTICEPS BERKELEYI
(BASIDIOMYCETES) Â ÑÐÅÄÈÇÅÌÎÐÜÅ
The genus Veluticeps (Cooke) Pat. is a striking and distinctive group of wood-decay fun-
gi that is associated with brown-rotted wood. Previously, Hjortstam et Tellería (1990) ex-
panded the concept of Veluticeps to include Columnocystis Pouzar. Nakasone (1990) accep-
ted these as synonymous and presents seven species descriptions. Later, Nakasone (2004)
worked on a revision of the current status of Veluticeps in the world, and as a result of this
work a key to the accepted species of Veluticeps and related taxa was provided. She transfer-
red some species such as Veluticeps philippinensis Bres., V. tabacina (Cooke) Burt and
V. heimii Malençon to the genus Pileodon, whereas Campylomyces and only eight species
remained in Veluticeps. Currently, the genus Veluticeps includes two groups based on the
presence or absence of hyphal pegs. Veluticeps sensu stricto is limited by taxa with hyphal
pegs, namely, V. berkeleyi and V. australiensis. Veluticeps sensu lato essentially equivalent
to the former genus Columnocystis includes taxa that lack hyphal pegs, namely, Veluticeps
abietina (Pers.) Hjortstam et Tellería,V. africana (Boidin, Lanq. et Gilles) Hjortstam et Tel-
lería,V. ambigua (Peck) Hjortstam et Tellería,V. fimbriata (Ellis et Everh.) Nakasone,
V. fusispora (G. Cunn.) Hjortstam et Ryvarden and V. pimeriensis (Gilbertson) Hjortstam et
Tellería. Most of the species from the genus have a restricted geographical range and are qu-
ite rare except for V. berkeleyi which has a wider distribution. Nevertheless, there is no data
for the occurrence of V. berkeleyi in the Mediterranean.
V. berkeleyi is widespread in Arizona and causes a brown cubical heartrot on Ponderosa
pine. This fungus does not fruit on living trees, but its basidiocarps develop abundantly on
stumps and logs on the ground (Gilbertson, 1974). According to Nakasone (1990), the spe-
cies is distributed in western United States of America, Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala, Taiwan,
and Japan. In Northern and Central America the species is found on pine trees, especially on
Pinus ponderosa while in Taiwan and Japan it is associated with a brown cubical rot of yel-
low cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa var. formosana). The species Veluticeps pini Pat. from
Indochina is conspecific with V. berkeleyi (Nakasone, 2004). The cultural morphology of
V. berkeleyi is described by Gilbertson et al. (1968). Martin and Gilbertson (1973) reported
that V. berkeleyi has a tetrapolar (or bifactorial) incompatibility system.
The materials were collected during the implementation of the bilateral project
(2002—2005) between the Institute of Biology, the Faculty of Natural Science and Mathe-
381
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Òîì 44 2010 Âûï.5
ÁÈÎÐÀÇÍÎÎÁÐÀÇÈÅ, ÑÈÑÒÅÌÀÒÈÊÀ, ÝÊÎËÎÃÈß
1Biology Department, Science Faculty, Selçuk University, 42031 Campus / Konya, Turkey.
e-mail: hhuseyindogan@yahoo.com
2Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Science and Mathematics, Gazi Baba bb., P. O. Box 162, 1000
Skopje, The Republic of Macedonia. e-mail: mitkok@pmf.ukim.mk

matics in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, and Biology Department, Science Faculty, Sel-
çuk University, Konya, Turkey.
In Turkey, the materials were collected in October 2003 on a stump of Juniperus excelsa
M. Bieb. and in May 2005 on a stump of J. foetidissima Willd. that are new hosts of the fun-
gus (Fig. 1).
Thin, freehand sections of basidiocarps were mounted in 3 % KOH and Melzer’s rea-
gent and examined with light microscope «Olympus». Identification was made by referring
to Nakasone’s key (Nakasone, 2004). Part of the collection was forwarded to Dr. Karen Na-
kasone for a critical review and confirmation.
All the material is stored at mycocollections: Mushroom Application and Research Cen-
tre of Selçuk University, Turkey and Macedonian National Collection at the Institute of Bio-
logy, Faculty of Natural Science and Mathematics, Republic of Macedonia. The obtained
data were incorporated into the databases (KONYA and MACFUNGI).
The author name of the taxon was checked according to Kirk, Ansell (1992) and
http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/Names.asp.
BASIDIOMYCOTA
AGARICOMYCETES
GLOEOPHYLLALES
GLOEOPHYLLACEAE
Veluticeps berkeleyi Cooke, Bull. Soc. mycol. France 10 : 78, 1894.
Syn.: Hymenochaete veluticeps Berk. et M. A. Curtis, J. Linn. Soc. Bot. 10 (46) : 333,
1868; Veluticeps fusca C. J. Humphrey et Long, Ann. Mo. bot. Gdn 13 (3) : 329, 1926.
Basidiocarps perennial, up to 15 × 5 cm, effused-reflexed to resupinate, up to 3 mm
thick (Fig. 2). Hymenial surface brownish, appearing finely hydnaceous from abundant ste-
rile hyphal fascicles (Fig. 3), sometimes deeply cracked, black in KOH. Hyphal pegs pre-
sent as aggregation of tramal cystidia projecting up to 100 mkm beyond hymenium, up to
7 mkm diam., originating in the subicular-subhymenial interface. Tramal cystidia long cla-
vate to cylindrical, up to 250 ×8—9 mkm, tapering to 2—3.5 mkm diam. at the base, with a
basal clamp, sometimes with secondary septa, apex obtuse and rounded or slightly tapering,
382
Fig. 1. Distribution of Veluticeps berkeleyi in Turkey.

brownish yellow to dark brown throughout, often encrusted with colourless, granular crys-
tals or with brownish yellow mucilaginous or resinous materials (Fig. 4). Context brown,
fibrous. Hyphal system monomitic although appearing dimitic, with nodose—septate gene-
rative and sclerified hyphae. Sclerified hyphae 2—4 mkm diam. with rare clamp connec-
tions, rarely branched, walls thick, light to dark brown, smooth. Basidia narrowly clavate,
4-sterigmate, 65—100 ×7—8 mkm, gradually tapering, with a basal clamp connection,
walls thin, light brown, smooth, sterigmata usually collapsed. Basidiospores cylindrical,
hyaline, smooth, 10.6—11 ×(2.2)3.3—4 mkm, Melzer’s negative, acyanophilous (Fig. 5).
The hyphal system of Veluticeps is subject to different interpretations. It has been desc-
ribed as dimitic, composed of generative hyphae and thick-walled skeletal hyphae (Welden,
383
Fig. 2. Basidiocarp of Veluticeps berkeleyi.
Fig. 3. Finely hydnaceous hyphal fascicles of Veluticeps berkeleyi.

1967; Hjortstam,Tellería, 1990) and monomitic with pseudoskeletal hyphae (Nakasone,
1990).
Material examined:TURKEY; Mersin-Arslankoy, Cocakdere district, on a stump
of J. excelsa,1750 m, 10102003, in herb. MACFUNGI No; 042101 and Dogan coll. No
1448 conservatus; Ankara-Nallihan Karageyis mountain, Bakacak district situated, on a
stump of J. foetidissima, 1300 m, 12052005, Dogan coll. No 2039 conservatus.
Ecological status.The material was collected on a stump of J. excelsa from Mer-
sin-Arslanköy district, situated in the southern Mediterranean part of Turkey. The forest ma-
inly consists of Cedrus libani A. Rich. mixed with Abies cilicica (Ant. et Kotschy) Carr.
subsp. isaurica Coode et Cullen and J. foetidissima, but in some places, there is pure Juniper
forest (J. excelsa and J. foetidissima). In second locality, the material was collected on a
stump of J. foetidissima in Ankara-Nallihan Karageyis Mountain, Bakacak district, situated
in the west northern part of Turkey. The forest consists of pure J. excelsa and J. foetidissima
(Fig. 1).
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Fig. 4. Cystidia of Veluticeps berkeleyi.
Fig. 5. Basidia and basidiospres of Veluticeps berkeleyi.

The dimensions of the spores in our examined specimens are slightly smaller than what
is quoted in the literature data (Gilbertson et al., 1968; Gilbertson, 1974; Nakasone, 1990;
Hjortstam et al., 1998). The spore dimensions of V. berkeleyi are as approximately
(10)12—14.5 ×4—5 mkm, but our specimens have spores with the following dimensions:
10.6—11 ×(2.2) 3.3—4 mkm.
The research was financially supported by the Scientific and Technical Research Coun-
cil of Turkey (TÜBÝTAK TOGTAG —MKD 2002 /1 and TOVAG 106O496), the Mace-
donian Ministry of Science and Education, Scientific Research Projects (BAP 2002/231)
Coordinating Office, Selçuk University. We are also indebted to Dr. Nakasone for her gene-
rous help, during the identification of the species and for providing helpful comments and
corrections.
REFERENCES
Gilbertson R.L.Fungi that decay Ponderosa pine. Tucson, Arizona: The University of Arizo-
na Press, 1974. 197 p.
Gilbertson R.L.,Lombard F.F.,Hinds T.E.Veluticeps berkeleyi and its decay of pine in
North America /Mycologia. 1968. Vol. 60. P. 29—41.
Hjortstam K., Tellería M. T. Columnocystis, a synonym of Veluticeps /Mycotaxon. 1990.
Vol. 37. P. 53—56.
Hjortstam K.,Roberts P. J., Spooner B. M. Corticoid fungi from Brunei Darussalam /
Kew Bull. 1998. Vol. 53. P. 805—827.
Kirk P.M.,Ansell A.E.Authors of Fungal Names, Index of fungi supplement: Kew, Surrey
(UK). International Mycological Institute, 1992. 92 p.
Martin K.J., Gilbertson R. J. Themating system of some other cultural aspects of Veluti-
ceps berkeleyi Mycologia. 1973. Vol. 65. P. 548—557.
Nakasone K. K. Taxonomic study of Veluticeps (Aphyllophorales) /Mycologia. 1990.
Vol. 82. 5. P. 622—641.
Nakasone K. K. Morphological studies of Veluticeps, Pileodon and related taxa /Sydowia.
2004. Vol. 56. 2. P. 38—60.
Welden A. L. West Indian species of Aquascypha and Veluticeps, with notes of extralimital
species /J. Tenn. Acad. Sci. 1967. Vol. 42. P. 81—84.
Selçuk University Konya, Turkey Received 29 VII 2009
hhuseyindogan@yahoo.com
Institute of Biology
Skopje, The Republic of Macedonia
mitkok@pmf.ukim.mk
ÐÅÇÞÌÅ
 ñòàòüå ïðèâîäÿòñÿ äàííûå î ïåðâîé íàõîäêå Veluticeps berkeleyi â Ñðåäèçåìíîìîðüå. Ðà-
íåå âèä Veluticeps berkeleyi áûë èçâåñòåí ëèøü èç Ñåâåðíîé è Öåíòðàëüíîé Àìåðèêè, Òàèâàíÿ è
ßïîíèè. Ãðèá àññîöèèðîâàí ñ áóðîé ñåðäöåâèííîé ãíèëüþ ñîñåí è êèïàðèñîâ. Àâòîðàìè äàí-
íûé âèä áûë îáíàðóæåí â íåñêîëüêèõ ìåñòîîáèòàíèÿõ â Òóðöèè íà ïíÿõ Juniperus excelsa è
J. foetidissima,êîòîðûå ÿâëÿþòñÿ íîâûìè ñóáñòðàòàìè äëÿ äàííîãî âèäà. Ñîáðàííûé ìàòåðèàë
îòëè÷åòñÿ îò ñåâåðîàìåðèêàíñêîãî áîëåå ìåëêèìè ñïîðàìè.
Êëþ÷åâûå ñëîâà: Veluticeps berkeleyi, äåðåâîðàçðóøàþùèå ãðèáû, Juniperus excelsa, J. foeti-
dissima, Òóðöèÿ.
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SUMMARY
Veluticeps berkeleyi was known from Northern and Central America, Taiwan and Japan till now.
The fungus is associated with brown-rotted wood and causes a brown cubical heartrot on ponderosa
pine in America and yellow cypress in Taiwan and Japan. Our specimens were collected from the so-
uthern Mediterranean and the west northern parts of Turkey, which is the first finding in the Mediter-
ranean. The fungus was collected on stumps of Juniperus excelsa and J. foetidissima, which are new
hosts. Our collections differ from others in having smaller spores.
Key words: Veluticeps berkeleyi, wood-decay fungi, Juniperus excelsa, J. foetidissima,Turkey.
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