''Laetiporus montanus'' is a species of

polypore Polypores are a group of fungi that form large fruiting bodies with pores or tubes on the underside (see Delimitation for exceptions). They are a morphological group of basidiomycetes-like gilled mushrooms and hydnoid fungi, and not all polypor ...

fungus in the family

Fomitopsidaceae The Fomitopsidaceae are a family of fungi in the order Polyporales. Most species are parasitic on woody plants, and tend to cause brown rots. The name comes from ''Fomitopsis'' (meaning "looking like Fomes") + ''-aceae'' (a suffix used to form t ...

. It is found in mountainous areas of central Europe and in China, where it grows on

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

Taxonomy

''Laetiporus montanus'' was first described as new to science by Czech mycologist Karel Černý in 1989. However, the publication did not include a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

description of the species, nor did it indicate the

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

, so the name was

invalid Invalid may refer to: * Patient, a sick person * one who is confined to home or bed because of illness, disability or injury (sometimes considered a politically incorrect term) * .invalid, a top-level Internet domain not intended for real use As t ...

according to nomenclatural rules. Michal Tomšovský and Libor Jankovský published the species validly in 2009. Although the fruit body of ''L. montanus'' is morphologically indistinguishable from the widespread '' L. sulphureus'', it is distinct genetically.

Description

Fruitbodies consist of overlapping fan-shaped caps up to wide and thick. The upper surface of the fruit body is bright orange before fading to light brownish in age. The pores on the cap underside are initially bright yellow, but fade to pale tan. Pores are small, measuring 1 to 4 per millimetre. Spores are egg-shaped,

hyaline A hyaline substance is one with a glassy appearance. The word is derived from el, ὑάλινος, translit=hyálinos, lit=transparent, and el, ὕαλος, translit=hýalos, lit=crystal, glass, label=none. Histopathology Hyaline cartilage is ...

(translucent), and measure 6.0–8.0

μm The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Unit ...

. It has larger spores than other European ''

Laetiporus ''Laetiporus'' is a genus of edible mushrooms found throughout much of the world. Some species, especially ''Laetiporus sulphureus'', are commonly known as sulphur shelf, chicken of the woods, the chicken mushroom, or the chicken fungus because ...

'' species; for example, spores of ''L. sulphureus'' typically do not exceed 7.0 μm in length.

Habitat, distribution, and ecology

Like all ''Laetiporus'' species, ''L. montanus'' causes a brown rot in its

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

trees. It grows on mature

s, particularly '' Picea abies'' and '' Larix decidua''. In Europe, the fungus has been recorded from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Austria. In 2010, it was reported from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the first record from China. The actual distribution of the fungus is not well known; the authors suspect that it may have a wider distribution, including Switzerland and adjacent mountainous countries. It is restricted to elevations above . Insects known to rear their young in the fruit bodies of ''L. montanus'' include the

Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

n species ''

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'' and '' Spelobia parapusio''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q22285582 Fungi described in 2009 Fungi of China Fungi of Europe Fungal plant pathogens and diseases montanus Fungus species