''Amauroderma'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
polypore
Polypores, also called bracket or shelf fungi, are a morphological group of basidiomycete-like gilled mushrooms and hydnoid fungi that form large fruiting bodies called conks, which are typically woody, circular, shelf- or bracket-shaped, ...
fungi
A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...
in the family
Ganodermataceae
The Ganodermataceae are a family (biology), family of fungi in the order Polyporales. , Index Fungorum accepts 8 genus, genera and 300 species in the family. The family was circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribed by Dutch mycologist Marinus An ...
. The genus, widespread in
tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...
areas, contains about 70 species. ''Amauroderma'' fungi are
wood-decay fungi
A wood-decay or xylophagous fungus is any species of fungus that digests moist wood, causing it to rot. Some species of wood-decay fungi attack dead wood, such as ''Serpula lacrymans'', and some, such as ''Armillaria'' (honey fungus), are paras ...
that feed and fruit on decayed branches and trunks.
The
fruit bodies
The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...
of ''Amauroderma'' fungi comprise a
cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...
and a
stipe, and are typically woody, leathery, or corky in texture. The
spores
In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plant ...
produced are usually spherical or nearly so, with a characteristic double wall structure that features U-shaped thickenings.
Taxonomy
''Amauroderma'' was
circumscribed In geometry, a circumscribed circle for a set of points is a circle passing through each of them. Such a circle is said to ''circumscribe'' the points or a polygon formed from them; such a polygon is said to be ''inscribed'' in the circle.
* Circum ...
by American mycologist
William Alphonso Murrill
William Alphonso Murrill (October 13, 1869 – December 25, 1957) was an American mycologist, known for his contributions to the knowledge of the Agaricales and Polyporaceae. In 1904, he became the assistant Curator at the New York Botanical Ga ...
in 1905. He set ''Amauroderma regulicolor'' (previously known as ''Fomes regulicolor'' Berk. ex Cooke), collected from Cuba, as the
type species
In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
.
The name ''Amauroderma'' had been used previously by
Narcisse Patouillard
Narcisse can be both a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
* Narcisse Bambara (born 1989), Burkinabé footballer
* Narcisse Blais (1812–1888), Canadian farmer and political figure in Quebec
* Narcisse Bona ...
, when he proposed that ''
Ganoderma
''Ganoderma'' is a genus of polypore fungi in the family Ganodermataceae that includes about 80 species, many from tropical regions. They may be called ''shelf mushrooms'' or bracket fungi and have a high genetic diversity. ''Ganoderma'' can b ...
'' be divided into the
sections
Section, Sectioning, or Sectioned may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea
* Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents
** Section sig ...
''Ganoderma'' and ''Amauroderma''. Patouillard described the characteristics of section ''Amauroderma'' as follows: "Spores globose or subglobose, devoid of truncated base, warty, woodruff or smooth; crust hat or dull stipe pruinose, rarely shining."
In 1920, Torrend promoted ''Ganoderma'' sect. ''Amauroderma'' to generic status, with ''Amauroderma auriscalpium'' as the type.
This resulted in an illegitimate homonym, as Murrill's earlier usage of the name has
priority.
The generic name means "dark/dusky-skinned" (from , meaning "dark or dusky", and , meaning "skin").
Several studies using
molecular phylogenetic
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
s have shown that ''Amauroderma'', as currently circumscribed, is not a
monophyletic
In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria:
# the grouping contains its own most recent co ...
taxon and will need to be revised.
Description
The
fruit bodies
The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...
of ''Amauroderma'' species are stipitate except in ''
A. andina'' and may attain various shapes although centrally stipitate basidiocarps are most common. Several
stipes
Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Carthaginians, ...
may arise from the same base, frequently resulting in fused
caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
and compound fruit bodies. In section some fruit bodies are distinct with one or two distinct inner black bands or zones. The stipe is often duplex with an outer dense layer surrounding an inner softer or hollow core sometimes separated by a black band. In species with a distinct