Diversity of bracket fungi (Basidiomycota: Agaricomycetes: Polyporaceae) in Jammu Division, Jammu & Kashmir, India

: The 24 taxa comprising of 13 genera belonging to Polyporaceae (Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes) are described and illustrated on the basis of basidiome collected during the rainy season in the years from 2014–2019 in Doda, Jammu, Kathua, Kishtwar, Ramban, and Udhampur districts of Jammu division of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. Of these, five ( Dichomitus campestris , Perenniporia adnata , Pilatoporus bondartsevae , Polyporus efibulatus , and Tyromyces amazonicus ) are new records for India, 14 ( Abortiporus biennis , Cerrena zonata , Favolus glaber , Fuscopostia leucomallella , Hexagonia nitida , Lenzites elegans , Lenzites warnieri , Perreniporia fraxniea , P. ochroleuca , Poriella subacida , Polyporus alveolaris , Pycnoporus sanguineus , Tyromyces chioneus , and Trichaptum biforme ), are new records for the Union territory of Jammu & Kashmir, two ( Pycnoporus cinnabarinus and Polyporus squamosus ), and the remaining three ( Fomes fomentarius , Lenzites betulina , and Trichaptum abietinum ) are re-recorded from the study area.


INTRODUCTION
Polyporaceae (Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota) is featured by annual to perennial, resupinate to effusedreflexed to pileate, sessile to stipitate basidiomes, having unilateral hymenium which forms the fertile layer surrounding the tubes that open on the hymenial surface in the variable shapes (circular, angular, daedaleoid, lamellate or irregular) of pores. Polypores act as decomposers and play an important role in the forest ecosystem (recycling the carbon and other nutrients) because of the secretion of lignolytic and cellulase enzymes causing white rot and brown rot, respectively. Along with this, some of these fungi show medicinal properties (Stavinoha 1991;Galor et al. 2011;Badalyan & Gharibyan 2016;Ján et al. 2016).

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The polypore basidiomes were collected during excursions carried out in Doda, Jammu, Kathua, Kishtwar, Ramban, and Udhampur districts of Jammu Division in the rainy months (July-September) in the years 2014-2019. These basidiomes were detached from their substratum using a hammer and chisel. The macromorphological details, i.e., nature of the basidiome, mode of attachment, hymenial and abhymenial surface, and margins, were recorded. A piece of the fertile portion of the basidiome was used for getting the spore print on a micro slide. After drying (sun or electric drier), the collected basidiome were packed in zip-lock airtight bags. The micro morphological characters were studied by making preparations in water, 3%/5%/10% KOH, 1% phloxine, 1% Congo red, and 1% cotton blue (in distilled water/lactophenol). The cyanophilous and amyloid reaction of different microscopic structures were studied in 1% cotton blue and Melzer's reagent (Iodine 0.5 g, Potassium Iodide 1.5 g, Chloral hydrate 20.0 g, and distilled water 20.0 ml) respectively. The line diagrams of the microscopic structures were drawn with the help of a Camera Lucida mounted on a compound microscope at 100x, 400x, and 1,000x magnification. Finally, the specimens were identified on the basis of comparison of the description with the literature and online repository (Bakshi 1971;Dhanda 1977;Rattan 1977;Thind & Dhanda 1979, 1980aRoy & De 1996;Leelavathy & Ganesh 2000;Sharma 2012;Kaur 2013;Ryavrden & Melo 2014;Kaur et al. 2017;Mycobank 2022). The identified specimens were finally submitted to the Herbarium, Department of Botany, Punjabi University, Patiala (PUN) using standard packing protocol.

RESULTS
The 24 described species are classified under 13 genera of family Polyporaceae; the key to the all genera pertaining the described species is given here.

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subventricose to ventricose cystidia and oblong ellipsoid basidiospores. It is being reported for the first time from Jammu & Kashmir.
Pores round to angular to elongated, 2-3 per mm; dissepiments entire, up to 50 µm in thickness.
Tube layer orange white, up to 2 mm deep. Subiculum homogenous, yellowish-white, up to 2 mm thick.
Hyphal arrangement: subhymenium dominated by loosely arranged, branched generative hyphae. Trama formed of loosely to moderately compact, branched generative hyphae and skeletal hyphae. Subiculum composed of moderately compact, branched generative hyphae and skeletal hyphae.
Basidiospores cylindrical, hyaline, thin-walled, smooth, with oil droplets, no reaction in Melzer's reagent and cotton blue, 8.8-11.6 × 4.4-5.8  Abhymenial surface glabrous, smooth, concentrically zonate, reddish brown to dark brown when fresh, not changing much on drying; margin light brown when fresh, not changing much on drying, acute, entire.
Hymenial surface poroid, brownish-grey to greyishbrown when fresh, not changing much on drying; margin light brown when fresh, not changing much on drying, sterile up to 2 mm.
Tube layer greyish-brown, up to 1 mm deep. Context homogenous, light brown, up to 1 mm in thickness.
Pilear crust up to 2 mm in thickness, dominated equally with generative hyphae and skeletal hyphae.
Hymenial surface poroid, grey when fresh, changing to brownish-orange on drying; margin slightly lighter, sterile up to 1 mm.
Tube layer stratified, greyish-brown, two layered, each layer up to 3 cm deep.
Context duplex; outer zone greyish brown, corky, up to 0.8 cm thick; inner zone brown, fibrous, up to 1.2 cm thick.
Hymenial surface poroid, greyish white when fresh, changing to pale yellowish on drying, margin concolorus, sterile up to 1 mm.
Tube layer yellowish-white, up to 0.2 mm deep. Context homogenous, orange white, up to 0.3 cm thick.
Hyphal arrangement: subhymenium consists of loose to moderately compactly arranged, generative hyphae. Trama formed of moderately compact generative hyphae. Context formed of compactly arranged generative hyphae.
Hyphal arrangement: Subhymenium contains loosely arranged, irregularly branched generative hyphae and projecting binding hyphae. Trama formed of loosely arranged, generative, binding and skeletal hyphae. Context mainly composed of compactly arranged binding and skeletal hyphae.
Hymenial surface lamellate, yellowish white when fresh, not changing much on drying; margin concolorus, sterile up to 1 mm.
Tube layer yellowish-white, up to 2 mm deep. Context homogenous, light brown, up to 5 mm in thickness.
Basidiospores cylindrical to subcylindrical, hyaline, smooth, thin-walled, no more reaction in Melzer's Notes: Lenzites warnieri is characteristic in having tomentose, tuberculate abhymenial surface and frequently bifurcating lamellae. It is being described as new to Jammu & Kashmir.
Tube layer whitish grey, up to 2 mm deep. Subiculum homogenous, concolorus to tube layer, up to 1mm thick.
Notes: Perreniporia adnata is characterized by resupinate basidiome, dimitic hyphal system and broadly ellipsoid, thick-walled basidiospores. It is recorded as new to India and was earlier described from Singapore (Mycobank 2022 Abhymenial surface azonate, sulcate, velutinate to smooth, white when fresh, changing to pale yellowish on drying; margin concolorous, obtuse, entire.
Hymenial surface poroid, white when fresh, changing to pale yellowish on drying, margin concolorous, sterile up to 2 mm.
Tube layer yellowish-white, separated by thin gelatanious layer from context, up to 2 cm deep.
Hyphal arrangement: Subhymenium chiefly formed of loose to somewhat compact generative hyphae. Trama consists of moderately compact generative and skeletal hyphae. Context usually formed of comparatively narrower, compactly arranged generative and skeletal hyphae.

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context.
Context homogenous, orange white, weakly zonate, with a thin cuticle, up to 0.5 cm thick.
Hyphal arrangement: subhymenium composed of loosely to moderately compact, irregularly branched generative hyphae. Trama consists of loose to moderately compact generative, binding and skeletal hyphae. Context formed of moderately to compactly arranged binding and skeletal hyphae.
Basidiospores ellipsoid, truncate at the apex, hyaline, thick-walled, smooth, spore wall slightly stained in Melzer's reagent,no reaction in cotton blue, 7. Basidiome annual, resupinate, effused, soft when fresh, becomes coriaceous after drying, easily separable from the substrate; up to 3 mm thick in cross-section.
Hymenial surface poroid, white when fresh, not changing much on drying; margin adnate, sterile up to 2 mm.
Tube layer yellowish-white, up to 2 mm deep. Subiculum homogenous, greyish-white, up to 1 mm deep.
Hyphal arrangement subhymenium consitituted of moderately compact, irregularly branched generative hyphae. Trama composed of loose to moderately compact generative, binding and skeletal hyphae. Context dominated with compactly arranged binding and skeletal hyphae.
Tube layer distinctly stratified, greyish-white, two layered, each layer up to 1 mm deep.
Hyphal arrangement: Subhymenium composed of loose to compactly arranged generative hyphae. Tramal zone consists of moderately compact generative and skeletal hyphae. Context consists of usually formed of compactly arranged generative and skeletal hyphae.
Hyphal arrangement: Subhymenium formed of branched generative hyphae only. Trama formed of loosely arranged generative and skeleto-binding hyphae. Context consists of compact generative and skeletobinding hyphae.
Tube layer orange white, up to 2 mm deep. Subiculum homogenous, yellowish white, up to 1 mm thick.
Hyphal arrangement subhymenium formed of loosely arranged, regularly to irregularly branched generative hyphae. Trama dominated with loose to moderately compact generative and skeletal hyphae. Context composed of moderately arranged generative and skeletal hyphae.
Hymenial surface poroid, brownish white to orange white when fresh, changing to reddish white to greyish red on drying; margin concolorus, sterile up to 2 mm.

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