Phylloporia (Basidiomycota, Hymenochaetaceae) in tropical Africa: an overview

A synthesis on the taxonomic, ecological, and phylogenetic knowledge of Phylloporia (Hymenochaetaceae, Basidiomycota) in tropical Africa is presented. Sixteen named Phylloporia species are currently reported from tropical Africa, of which 4 species, originating from the lower Guinean forest in Gabon and from medium elevation, montane forest in Kenya, are shown to represent undescribed taxa, on the basis of morphological, ecological, and DNA multilocus phylogenetic data. Nine species are described and, for the time being, only known from the Guineo-Congolian phytogeographic region. Eight of them are only known from its western edge in Gabon, where the wood-decaying basidiomycete communities are continuously surveyed. However, it should be noted also that the reports in Tropical Africa of several species originally described from other continents and biogeographic areas, in South America or the Southern Pacific, such as P. chrysites, P. fruticum, P. parasitica, or still P. weberiana, must be taken as sensu auctores, as already emphasized (Yombiyeni & Decock 2017). Their presence in Tropical Africa still should be confirmed. The distribution range of these species is still poorly known, and largely depend on the distribution rage of their hosts. However, globally, the Guineo-Congolian phytogeographic region, of which the vast Congo basin forest remains still very poorly surveyed. Multilocus phylogenetic inferences of African Phylloporia, also provide some preliminary clues to understand the affinities of the species present in Africa and to resolve the structure of the genus.