Three new species of Helicogloea (Phleogenaceae, Atractiellales) from South China

Three new species of Helicogloea from south China, Helicogloea candida, H. conidiata and H. sinosebacea, are illustrated and described, based on morphological characteristics and multigene phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS) and the large subunit of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nLSU). Helicogloea candida is characterised by resupinate, gelatinous, hyaline to whitish, first pustulate to slightly cerebriform when fresh and ellipsoid to oblong ellipsoid basidiospores measuring 8.9–13.6 × 4.4–8.9 μm; H. conidiata is characterised by the presence of a sporodochial asexual morph and subglobose to ellipsoid conidia measuring 3.6–4.5 × 2.9–3.8 µm; H. sinosebacea is characterised by resupinate, gelatinous, whitish or greyish basidiomes when fresh and subglobose to broadly ellipsoid basidiospores measuring 7–10 × 4.8–7.3 μm.

The differences amongst the new species and their morphologically similar and phylogenetically related species are discussed.