Morphological and molecular analyses reveal 28 new macrofungal species in China

Fungi are vital resources on Earth, playing crucial roles in promoting the decomposition of organic matter and sustaining ecosystem stability. Many fungal taxa also represent important edible and medicinal resources, holding significant values for human well-being. However, our understanding of fungal species diversity remains incomplete, and exploration in this field is still ongoing. This study focuses on macroscopic fungi from different regions of China. Based on detailed morphological comparisons and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses, 28 new species are described herein: Cortinarius hyalocinnamomeus, Cortinarius chaoyangensis, Cystolepiota rubellogrisea, Echinoderma petaloides, Entoloma liangshuiens, Hygrocybe santagouana, Hygrocybe aurisquama, Hygrocybe sejilensis, Hygrocybe subreidii, Hypholoma salmopapillosum, Lepiota adpileobrunnea, Lepiota gobelinicolor, Leucocoprinus margilongus, Leucocoprinus submargallensis, Leucocoprinus oleifer, Limacella annulipendula, Macrocystidia tashanparensis, Marasmius velutinus, Melanoleuca mozhugongkaensis, Mycena atrorubina, Phloeomana flavomaculata, Pseudobaeospora vulpecula, Pseudosperma lacteoconicum, Rhodophana rimosula, Rhodophana baishanensis, Singerocybe rugospora, Trogia albotuberculata, and Tubaria qingyuanensis. Descriptions, illustrations, multi-locus phylogenetic analyses, and detailed comparisons with closely related taxa are provided for each newly described species. The discovery of these 28 novel macrofungal species provides an essential taxonomic framework for future studies on fungal systematics and conservation of fungi in China.