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Issue: Vol. 740 No. 1: 3 Feb. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-02-03
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.740.1.6
Page range: 75-85
Abstract views: 30
PDF downloaded: 1

Podaxis littoreus (Agaricaceae, Agaricales), a novel coastal species from Hainan Island, tropical China

Academy of Chemistry and Materials College, Hainan Vocational University of Science and Technology, Haikou 571126, China; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
Hainan Smart Rainforest Center, Haikou 570203, China
Haikou Duotan Wetlands Institute, Haikou 570125, China
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
Forestry Bureau of Changjiang Li Autonomous County, Changjiang 572700, China
Hainan Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Haikou 571126, China
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
gasteromycetous fungi molecular phylogeny novel species sand-dwelling fungi taxonomy Fungi

Abstract

The fungal genus Podaxis has long attracted research interest, with approximately 58 published taxonomic records. Given its ongoing taxonomic expansion, further field surveys are likely to reveal additional novel species within the genus. During recent fieldwork in Hainan Island, a tropical region of China, specimens resembling Podaxis were collected. Through integrated morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses, a new species, P. littoreus, was described, which is characterized by a whitish brown to dark brown basidioma, relatively large and thick-walled basidiospores (2–3 μm thick), and occurrence in sandy, saline coastal soils. This study provides a detailed description of P. littoreus, clarifies its phylogenetic position, and enhances the taxonomic and biogeographic understanding of the genus Podaxis.

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How to Cite

Han, Y.-X., Zhao, L., Yuan, L.-X., Zeng, Y.-Q., Wang, Y., Xue, M.-L., Mu, X.-D. & Zeng, N.-K. (2026) Podaxis littoreus (Agaricaceae, Agaricales), a novel coastal species from Hainan Island, tropical China. Phytotaxa 740 (1): 75–85. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.740.1.6