Sarcodon in the Neotropics II: four new species from Colombia and a key to the regional species.

This work reports on four species of the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) tooth fungus genus Sarcodon (Bankeraceae, Thelephorales, Basidiomycota) recently discovered in the Colombian Amazon. Sarcodon colombiensis sp. nov., Sarcodon rufobrunneus sp. nov., Sarcodon pallidogriseus sp. nov. and Sarcodon bairdii sp. nov. are described as new to science. These fungi occur in forests dominated by ECM trees in the genera Pseudomonotes (Dipterocarpaceae), Dicymbe (Fabaceae subfam. Caesalpinioideae) and Aldina (Fabaceae subfam. Papilionoideae). These records bring the number of Sarcodon species known from the Neotropics to 10. Each of the new species possesses the accepted diagnostic characters for the genus: pileate-stipitate stature, a dentate hymenophore, determinate basidiomata development, fleshy, non-zonate context, and brown, tuberculate basidiospores. Molecular phylogenetic analysis corroborated the generic placement of the species, and, in combination with morphological characters, confirmed that they are new to science. Macromorphological, micromorphological, habitat and DNA sequence data from the nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) are provided for each of the new species. A key is provided that allows identification of all known Neotropical Sarcodon species and similar extralimital taxa.