Pale round disks on bark.

Genus Aleurodiscus [sensu lato] Rabenh. ex J. Schröt.

[etymology = flour disc]

Summary: This genus has been used with a broad concept and the sorting of the species into segregate genera is not finished. DNA studies show Aleurodiscus species spread across the larger clade of the Stereaceae with Stereum and Xylobolus embedded in the middle. The various (non-type) species assigned to Acanthophysium and Acanthophysellum need a new home because the type species for those two genera are actually related to Xylobolus.

Fun Fact: our common Aleurodiscus oakesii (check the bark of any white oak) is named after American botanist William Oakes.

Taxon Information

This is a varied group of saprobes on plants. Index Fungorum (Jan 2021) lists 105 epithets as belonging to Aleurodiscus. Those saprobes growing on the dead bark of living trees are considered parasites by some authors. Some of the species in North America are listed below, with their possible segregate genus. Note that DNA phylogenies do not support the published placement of a species in a segregate genus (e.g., Acanthophysellum), where that species is not related to the type species of the genus.

Aleurodiscus sensu stricto in North America

  1. Aleurodiscus amorphus, type species, on conifers.
  2. Aleurodiscus grantii, western USA, on conifers.
  3. Aleurodiscus penicillatus

Other Species in North America

  1. Aleurodiscus abietis, on conifers.
  2. Aleurodiscus cerussatus, not part of Acanthophysellum.
  3. Aleurodiscus croceus, on hardwoods, Arizona.
  4. Aleurodiscus fruticetorum, on shrubs, California.
  5. Aleurodiscus mesaverdensis, Colorado, Mesa Verde, not part of Acanthophysellum.
  6. Aleurodiscus mirabilis, on hardwoods.
  7. Aleurodiscus oakesii, on hardwoods or bark (especially white oaks), not part of Acanthophysium.

Taxon Details and Links

Nomenclature

  • Aleurodiscus Rabenh. ex J. Schröt., Kryptogamen-Flora von Schlesien 3-1(4): 429 (1888).
Type
  • Peziza amorpha Pers., Synopsis methodica fungorum: 657 (1801).

Taxonomy

This genus is paraphyletic and will need to have segregate genera defined. Our common Aleurodiscus oakesii is not directly related to the type species A. amorphus.

Wu et al. (2001) found that Aleurodiscus oakesii did not group with any other species in their phylogeny, so they did not offer an alternative genus name. Index Fungorum (Jan 2021) gives the current name as Acanthophysium oakesii (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Parmasto (1967), but it is not part of that genus clade.

Description links

  1. A. oakesii - Fungus Fact Friday.
  2. A. oakesii (as A. wakefieldiae) - Gary Emberger. Our American A. oakesii (white and tan flat cups on bark) is not a synonym of the European A. wakefieldiae (pinkish discs on dead branches), and actually not closely related.
  3. A. oakesii - Michael Kuo.
  4. A. oakesii - Tom Volk

References

  1. Dai, L.-D., S.-H. Wu, K. K. Nakasone, H. H. Burdsall Jr., S.-H. He. 2017. Two new species of Aleurodiscus s.l. (Russulales, Basidiomycota) on bamboo from tropics Mycoscience 58: 213-220. DOI: 10.1016/j.myc.2017.02.001.
  2. Larsson, E., K-H. Larsson. 2003. Phylogenetic relationships of russuloid basidiomycetes with emphasis on aphyllophoralean taxa. Mycologia 95(6): 1037-1065. doi: 10.1080/15572536.2004.11833020
  3. Núñez, M. and L. Ryvarden. 1997. The genus Aleurodiscus (Basidiomycotina). Synopsis Fungorum, 12 : 1-164. [sold by NHBS.com.] [Not seen by me]
  4. Ryvarden, Leif. 2010. Stereoid fungi of America. Synopsis Fungorum 28. [sold by NHBS.com.]
  5. Tian, Y, M. Ghobad-Nejhad, S.-H. He, Y.-C. Dai. 2018. Three new species of Aleurodiscus s.l. (Russulales, Basidiomycota) from southern China. MycoKeys 37: 93–107. doi: 10.3897/mycokeys.37.25901.
  6. Wu, S.-H., J. Boidin, and C.-Y. Chien. 2000. Acanthofungus rimosus gen. et sp. nov., with reevaluation of the related genera. Mycotaxon 76: 153–161. Mycotaxon volumes with page images.
  7. Wu, S.-H., D. S. Hibbett, and M. Binder. 2001. Phylogenetic Analyses of Aleurodiscus s.l. and Allied Genera. Mycologia 93: 720-731. doi: 10.2307/3761826

Taxon links for 17041 Aleurodiscus

Cite this page as: Leacock, P.R. (2021 Jan 08). Aleurodiscus s.l. - MycoGuide. Retrieved from https://www.mycoguide.com/guide/fungi/basi/agar/russ/ster/aleu

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