''Navisporus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of seven species of tropical poroid fungi in the family

Polyporaceae The Polyporaceae are a family of poroid fungi belonging to the Basidiomycota. The flesh of their fruit bodies varies from soft (as in the case of the dryad's saddle illustrated) to very tough. Most members of this family have their hymeniu ...

. It was

circumscribed In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon. The center of this circle is called the circumcenter and its radius is called the circumradius. Not every polyg ...

by Norwegian mycologist

Leif Ryvarden Leif Randulff Ryvarden (born 9 August 1935) is a Norwegian mycologist. Early life and education Leif Ryvarden was born in Bergen as a son of Einar Norberg Johansen (1900–1959) and Hjørdis Randulff (1912–1975). He finished his secondary edu ...

in 1980 with ''

Navisporus floccosus ''Navisporus'' is a genus of seven species of tropical polypore, poroid fungi in the family Polyporaceae. It was circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribed by Norwegian mycologist Leif Ryvarden in 1980 with ''Navisporus floccosus'' as the type spe ...

'' as the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

. This fungus, first described as ''Trametes floccosa'' by

Giacomo Bresadola Giacomo Bresadola ( Mezzana, Trento; often given as Giacopo) 14 February 1847 – Trento 9 June 1929) was an eminent Italian mycologist. Fungi he named include the deadly '' Lepiota helveola'' and ''Inocybe patouillardii'', though the latter ...

in 1896, is thought to have been originally collected in

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

Description

''Navisporus'' fungi have pale brown to brown

context Context may refer to: * Context (language use), the relevant constraints of the communicative situation that influence language use, language variation, and discourse summary Computing * Context (computing), the virtual environment required to su ...

, and a dimitic

hypha A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one or ...

l system, meaning they have both generative and skeletal hyphae. Ryvarden described the genus as being close to '' Pseudopiptoporus'' (published by Ryvarden simultaneously with ''Navisporus''), but with

dextrinoid In mycology a tissue or feature is said to be amyloid if it has a positive amyloid reaction when subjected to a crude chemical test using iodine as an ingredient of either Melzer's reagent or Lugol's solution, producing a blue to blue-black staini ...

skeletal

e, and lacking gloeopleurous hyphae. ''Navisporus''

spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

are long, navicular (boat-shaped) and non-dextrinoid. ''N. terrestris'' is the only species in the genus that has a fruit body with a stipe, and also the only member of the genus that fruits on soil All of the other species fruit as a stipeless (sessile)

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

on dead wood, or alternately in effused-reflexed form—i.e., a

crust fungus The corticioid fungi are a group of fungi in the Basidiomycota typically having effused, smooth basidiocarps (fruit bodies) that are formed on the undersides of dead tree trunks or branches. They are sometimes colloquially called crust fungi or pa ...

with margins that form caps.

Species

*'' Navisporus africanus'' Ryvarden(2000) – Africa *''

'' (Bres.) Ryvarden (1980) – Africa, Mexico; Cuba; South America *'' Navisporus minutus'' Ryvarden (2018) –

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

*'' Navisporus perennis'' Ryvarden & Iturr. (2004) – Venezuela *'' Navisporus reflexus'' Ryvarden (2018) –

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

*'' Navisporus sulcatus'' (Lloyd) Ryvarden (1983) – South America;

French Antilles The French West Indies or French Antilles (french: Antilles françaises, ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy fwansez) are the parts of France located in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean: * The two overseas departments of: ** Guadeloup ...

; United States *'' Navisporus terrestris'' Gibertoni & Ryvarden (2004) – Brazil ''Navisporus ortizii'' S.Herrera & Bondartseva, a

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

described from Cuba in 1989, was later found to be

conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organ ...

with '' Perenniporia martius''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q8009510 Polyporaceae Polyporales genera Taxa named by Leif Ryvarden Taxa described in 1980