''Neofavolus'' 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 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 polypor ...

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 t ...

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 specimen ...

, 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''), '' 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, and have a cylindrical stipe that is usually laterally situated. Their caps 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 The hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some ...

featuring gills rather than pores. Lentinus suavissimus G5 (1)

''Neofavolus'' has 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, with both generative and the more predominant skeletal-binding hyphae. The generative hyphae have clamp connections. Skeletal-binding hyphae are arboriform, and

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 ...

. 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 th ...

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 are club-shaped, with four sterigmata. Spores 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