''Irpex'' 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 corticioid fungi in the order

Polyporales The Polyporales are an order (biology), order of about 1,800 species of fungi in the division (mycology), division Basidiomycota. The order includes some (but not all) polypores as well as many corticioid fungi and a few agarics (mainly in the ge ...

. Species produce fruit bodies that grow as a crust on the surface of dead hardwoods. The crust features an irpicioid spore-bearing surface (for which the genus is named), meaning it has irregular and flattened teeth. ''Irpex'' is distinguished from the similar genera '' Junghuhnia'' and ''

Steccherinum ''Steccherinum'' is a widely distributed genus of hydnoid, toothed crust fungi in the family Steccherinaceae. Taxonomy ''Steccherinum'' was circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribed by Samuel Frederick Gray in his 1821 work ''A Natural Arrangeme ...

'' by the simple

septa SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly four million people througho ...

found in the generative

hypha A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one o ...

Classification

Although ''Irpex'' has been classified in the family Steccherinaceae, or the Meruliaceae, phylogenetic analysis has shown that its

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 ...

, '' Irpex lacteus'', is more closely related to '' Byssomerulius'' in the Phanerochaetaceae. Justo and colleagues support a 2003 proposal that places ''Irpex'' as the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus (''genus typica'') is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearin ...

of family Irpicaceae.

Species

*'' Irpex africanus'' Van der Byl (1934) – South Africa *'' Irpex alboluteus'' Rick (1959) – Brazil *'' Irpex aridus'' (Svrcek) Kotir. & Saaren. (2002) *'' Irpex castaneus'' Lloyd (1920) *'' Irpex conchiformis'' (Sacc.) Kotir. & Saaren. (2002) *'' Irpex consors'' Berk. (1878) *'' Irpex cremicolor'' Miettinen, Niemelä & Ryvarden (2007) – North Europe *'' Irpex destruens'' Petch (1909) *'' Irpex epitephrus'' Cleland (1936) *'' Irpex gracillimus'' Pilát (1925) *'' Irpex hacksungii'' J.S.Lee & Y.W.Lim (2009) – Korea *'' Irpex holoporus'' (Pers.) Sacc. & Traverso (1910) *'' Irpex hydnoides'' Y.W.Lim & H.S.Jung (2003) *'' Irpex irpicinus'' (Berk. & Broome) D.A.Reid (1963) – Australia *'' Irpex iyoensis'' Yasuda (1917) *'' Irpex javensis'' Lloyd (1925) *'' Irpex kusanoi'' Henn. & Shirai (1900) *'' Irpex lacteus'' (Fr.) Fr. ( 1828) *'' Irpex lamelliformis'' Lloyd (1917) *'' Irpex lepidocarpus'' (P.Karst.) Sacc. & Trotter (1912) *'' Irpex litschaueri'' (Bourdot & Galzin) Kotir. & Saaren. (2002) *'' Irpex longisporus'' Rick (1959) – Brazil *'' Irpex longus'' Rick (1959) – Brazil *'' Irpex merulioides'' (Berk. & Broome) Lloyd (1914) *'' Irpex microdon'' Rick (1959) – Brazil *'' Irpex mikhnoi'' (P.Karst.) Sacc. & Trotter (1912) *'' Irpex miyabei'' Lloyd (1923) *'' Irpex mukhinii'' (Kotir. & Y.C.Dai) Kotir. & Saaren. (2002) *'' Irpex narymicus'' (Pilát) Saaren. & Kotir. (2002) *'' Irpex noharae'' (Murrill) Sacc. & Trotter (1912) *'' Irpex ochrosimilis'' Lloyd (1924) *'' Irpex owensii'' Lloyd (1916) *'' Irpex pallidus'' Lloyd (1920) *'' Irpex palmatus'' (Berk.) Speg. (1959) – Rio de Janeiro *'' Irpex poria'' Rick (1959) – Brazil *'' Irpex rickii'' Lloyd (1925) *'' Irpex roseotingens'' (Hjortstam & Ryvarden) Saaren. & Kotir. (2002) *'' Irpex sepiarius'' Lloyd (1917) *'' Irpex subhypogaeus'' Rick (1932) *'' Irpex subrawakensis'' (Murrill) Saaren. & Kotir. (2002) *'' Irpex tasmanicus'' Syd. & P.Syd. (1903) *'' Irpex tiliaceus'' Pilát (1925) *'' Irpex tomentosocinctus'' Rick (1959) – Brazil *'' Irpex unicolor'' Lloyd (1920) *'' Irpex vagus'' (Burds. & Nakasone) Saaren. & Kotir. (2002) *'' Irpex vellereus'' Berk. & Broome (1873) – Philippines *'' Irpex versatilis'' Lloyd (1917) *'' Irpex woronowii'' Bres. (1920)

References

Taxa described in 1825 Irpicaceae Polyporales genera Taxa named by Elias Magnus Fries {{Polyporales-stub