''Loweomyces'' 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 six species of poroid

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

Steccherinaceae The Steccherinaceae are a family of about 200 species of fungi in the order Polyporales. It includes crust-like, toothed, and poroid species that cause a white rot in dead wood. Taxonomy The family was circumscribed by Estonian mycologist Era ...

(formerly placed in the

Meruliaceae The Meruliaceae are a family of fungi in the order Polyporales. According to a 2008 estimate, the family contains 47 genera and 420 species. , Index Fungorum accepts 645 species in the family. Taxonomy The family was formally circumscribed by E ...

Taxonomy

It was originally

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 ...

as a subgenus of ''

Spongipellis ''Spongipellis'' is a genus of fungus in the family Polyporaceae. The genus is widely distributed and contains ten species. The genus was circumscribed by French mycologist Narcisse Théophile Patouillard in 1887. The genus name combines the Lati ...

'' by the Czech mycologists

František Kotlaba František Kotlaba (20 May 1927 in Vlastiboř – 11 June 2020 in Prague) was a Czech botanist and mycologist. Scientific career After his degree in Natural Sciences and Pedagogy at the Charles University in Prague, Kotlaba received a post at t ...

and

Zdeněk Pouzar Zdeněk Pouzar (13 April 1932 – 4 June 2023) was a Czech mycologist. Along with František Kotlaba, he published several works about the taxonomy of polypore, corticioid, and gilled fungi. Pouzar was a noted expert on stromatic pyrenomycetes ...

in 1976. Swiss mycologist

Walter Jülich Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...

promoted it to a genus segregate from ''Spongipellis'' in 1982, with two species: '' L. fractipes'' (the

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * ...

), and '' L. wynneae''. Jülich thought the genus should be distinct from ''Spongipellis'' based on the larger

basidia A basidium (: basidia) is a microscopic spore-producing structure found on the hymenophore of reproductive bodies of basidiomycete fungi. The presence of basidia is one of the main characteristic features of the group. These bodies are also ...

, the absence of skeletal hyphae, and smaller tubes. ''L. fractipes'' and ''L. wynneae'' have had their generic positions confirmed with

molecular phylogenetics 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 ...

, and both group in the "residual polyploid

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

", one of four main lineages of the

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 ...

. The genus is named in honour of American mycologist and polypore specialist

Josiah Lincoln Lowe Josiah Lincoln Lowe (13 February 1905 – 30 April 1997) was an American mycologist who specialized in the study of polypores. Lowe was born in Hopewell, New Jersey, where he attended primary school and high school. In 1927, he graduated with a Bac ...

Description

''Loweomyces'' is distinguished by the ease of

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual reproduction, sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for biological dispersal, dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores fo ...

germination in

growth media A growth medium or culture medium is a solid, liquid, or semi-solid designed to support the growth of a population of microorganisms or cells via the process of cell proliferation or small plants like the moss ''Physcomitrella patens''. Differe ...

, larger

, the absence of skeletal

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 ...

e, and smaller tubes, plates or spines, compared with European ''Spongipellis'' species.

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 ...

are either crust-like or have 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 stipe. The

l system is either monomitic (possessing only generative hyphae) or dimitic (having both generative and pseudo-skeletal hyphae).

Species

The genus contained four species . Two new species from Brazil were described in 2016. *'' Loweomyces fractipes'' (Berk. & M.A.Curtis) Jülich (1982) – Europe; North America *'' Loweomyces sibiricus'' (Penzina & Ryvarden) (Spirin 2006) *'' Loweomyces spissus'' Westphalen, Tomšovský & Rajchenb. (2016) – Brazil *''

Loweomyces subgiganteus ''Loweomyces'' is a genus of six species of poroid fungi in the family Steccherinaceae (formerly placed in the Meruliaceae). Taxonomy It was originally Circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribed as a subgenus of ''Spongipellis'' by the Czech myco ...

'' (Berk. & M.A.Curtis) (Spirin 2006) *'' Loweomyces tomentosus'' Westphalen, Tomšovský & Rajchenb. (2016)– Brazil *'' Loweomyces wynneae'' (Berk. & Broome) Jülich (1982) – Europe

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6693288 Steccherinaceae Polyporales genera Taxa described in 1976