''Neofavolus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of four 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 polyp ...

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 ...

. All four known species of ''Neofavolus'' are known from

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...

regions and unknown from the tropics. '' Neofavolus alveolaris'', 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 specime ...

, is widely distributed in the

areas of the Northern Hemisphere, while '' N. cremeoalbidus'' and '' N. mikawai'' are known only from limited areas of eastern Asia. The most recent addition to the genus (transferred from ''

Lentinus ''Lentinus'' is a genus of fungi in the family Polyporaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with many species found in subtropical regions. The genus name ''Lentinus'' is derived from the Latin ''lent'', meaning "pliable", and ''inus'', meani ...

''), '' N. suavissimus'', is found in North America, Europe, and Japan.

Description

The

fruit bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...

of ''Neofavolus'' species are

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year ** Yearbook ** Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

, and have a cylindrical stipe that is usually laterally situated. Their

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...

are kidney-shaped to semicircular, circular in centrally stipitate specimens. The cap surface is either covered with flatted scales or is smooth, azonate, white to cream or brownish. The

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 ...

, which is up to 1 cm thick, ranges from fleshy-tough to leathery when fresh, to brittle or corky to leathery in dried specimens. Pores on the underside of the cap vary in size, but are typically diamond shaped and may be elongated radially. ''N. suavissimus'' is the single ''Neofavolus'' fungus with a hymenium featuring

gills A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

rather than pores. Lentinus suavissimus G5 (1)

''Neofavolus'' has a dimitic hyphal system, with both generative and the more predominant skeletal-binding hyphae. The generative hyphae have

clamp connection A clamp connection is a hook-like structure formed by growing hyphal cells of certain fungi. It is a characteristic feature of Basidiomycetes fungi. It is created to ensure that each cell, or segment of hypha separated by septa (cross walls), rec ...

s. Skeletal-binding hyphae are arboriform, and hyaline. The

cap cuticle The pileipellis is the uppermost layer of hyphae in the pileus of a fungal fruit body. It covers the trama, the fleshy tissue of the fruit body. The pileipellis is more or less synonymous with the cuticle, but the cuticle generally describes ...

comprises a cutis made of hyaline to brown agglutinated and parallel generative hyphae. These are distinct from the contextual hyphae, which largely comprise non-agglutinated skeletal-binding hyphae. The

basidia A basidium () is a microscopic sporangium (a spore-producing structure) found on the hymenophore of fruiting bodies of basidiomycete fungi which are also called tertiary mycelium, developed from secondary mycelium. Tertiary mycelium is highly- ...

are club-shaped, with four

sterigma In biology, a sterigma (pl. sterigmata) is a small supporting structure. It commonly refers to an extension of the basidium (the spore-bearing cells) consisting of a basal filamentous part and a slender projection which carries a spore at the ti ...

ta.

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, ...

of ''Neofavolus'' fungi are cylindrical, thin-walled, smooth, hyaline, and non-amyloid.

Species

*'' Neofavolus alveolaris'' (DC.) Sotome & T.Hatt. (2016) *'' Neofavolus cremeoalbidus'' Sotome & T.Hatt. (2013) *'' Neofavolus mikawae'' (Lloyd) Sotome & T.Hatt. (2013) *'' Neofavolus suavissimus'' (Fr.) J.S.Seelan, Justo & Hibbett (2016)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16986329 Polyporaceae Polyporales genera Fungi described in 2012