''Tropicoporus tropicalis'' is a mushroom of the family

Hymenochaetaceae The ''Hymenochaetaceae'' are a family (biology), family of fungi in the order Hymenochaetales. The family contains several species that are implicated in many diseases of broad-leaved and coniferous trees, causing heart rot, canker and root disea ...

. ''Tropicoporus tropicalis'' is a wood-decaying

basidiomycetes Basidiomycota () is one of two large division (mycology), divisions that, together with the Ascomycota, constitute the subkingdom Dikarya (often referred to as the "higher fungi") within the kingdom Fungi. Members are known as basidiomycetes. Mor ...

that rarely causes disease in animals and human, and is commonly found in humid climate such as Brazil. In its natural environment, the fungus is associated with

white rot 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 par ...

woody

angiosperms Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed within a fruit. T ...

, and has its annual

fruiting body 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 ...

on tree trunks and branches. ''Tropicoporus tropicalis'' has two kinds of

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 (a dimitic hyphal system), generative and skeletal, that lack

clamp connections A clamp connection is a hook-like structure formed by growing hyphal cells of certain fungi. It is a characteristic feature of basidiomycete fungi. It is created to ensure that each cell, or segment of hypha separated by septa (cross walls), recei ...

Taxonomy

''Poria rickii'' is a species described by

Giacomo Bresadola Giacomo Bresadola ( Mezzana, Trento; often given as Giacopo) 14 February 1847 – Trento 9 June 1929) was an eminent Italian mycologist. Fungi he named include the deadly '' Lepiota helveola'' and ''Inocybe patouillardii'', though the latter ...

in 1920. Alix David and Mario Rajchenberg renamed it ''Phellinus rickii'' in 1985. However, there already is a pre-existing name ''Phellinus rickii'' Teixeira 1950. To avoid confusion, Larsen and Lombard (1988) gave David and Rajchenberg's ''P. rickii'' a new name ''Phellinus tropicalis''. Wagner and Fischer (2002) showed that ''Phellinus tropicalis'' belong in ''Inonotus sensu stricto'' after phylogenetic analysis of the fungus's rDNA nuclear LSU sequence, and renamed it ''Inonotus tropicalis''. In Zhou et al. (2015), ''Inonotus sensu lato'' (equivalent to ''Inonotus sensu stricto'' in Wagner and Fischer 2002) contains at least three clades (A, B, and C). Clade A is ''

Inonotus ''Inonotus'' is a genus of fungus, fungi in the family (biology), family Hymenochaetaceae. The genus, described by Petter Karsten in 1879, is estimated to contain about 80 species ''sensu lato'' and 30 species ''sensu stricto'' (in the strict sen ...

sensu stricto'', and clade B and C together form the ''Inonotus linteus'' complex. Clade B and C each was given names '' Tropicoporus'' and '' Sanghuangporus''. The fungus, belonging to clade B, is renamed ''Tropicoporus tropicalis'' in the same time.

Description

''Tropicoporus tropicalis'' is a fungus with the growth characteristics of being appressed, short-downy, homogeneous, adherent, even margins, indistinct, and odourless. It is also woolly and yellowish-orange colonies, with annual

fruiting 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 ...

and dimitic hyphal system, which refers to the appearance of two kinds of hyphae: generative (2.5 – 4 ɥm in diameter, thin-walled, simple-

septate In biology, a septum (Latin for ''something that encloses''; septa) is a wall, dividing a cavity or structure into smaller ones. A cavity or structure divided in this way may be referred to as septate. Examples Human anatomy * Interatrial se ...

, and pale yellowish brown), and skeletal (3.5 – 4.5 ɥm in diameter, thick-walled, infrequently simple-

, and dull yellowish brown). Moreover, the fungus lacks

seta In biology, setae (; seta ; ) are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms. Animal setae Protostomes Depending partly on their form and function, protostome setae may be called macrotrichia, chaetae, ...

l hyphae and

in its hyphae, which is either thin or thick walled. However, it has numerous reddish brown Hymenial

e that has a maximum length of 25 ɥm, and has dull brown pores that becomes whiter near the margin. The

Basidiocarp In fungi, a basidiocarp, basidiome, or basidioma () is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multicellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do no ...

of ''Tropicoporus tropicalis'' is annual, resupinate, and

hyaline A hyaline substance is one with a glassy appearance. The word is derived from , and . Histopathology Hyaline cartilage is named after its glassy appearance on fresh gross pathology. On light microscopy of H&E stained slides, the extracellula ...

. The abundant fungal spores are coloured yellowish to ochraceous, and shaped ovoid to broadly ellipsoid and smooth when mature. Both the spores (7 - 9 per mm) and the

basidiospore A basidiospore is a reproductive spore produced by basidiomycete fungi, a grouping that includes mushrooms, shelf fungi, rusts, and smuts. Basidiospores typically each contain one haploid Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromos ...

s are small, with basidiospores having more than 3.5 um wide when it is ellipsoid, and are less than 3.5 um wide when it is sub-

globose This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...

Physiology

The fungus grows: * Moderately rapid i
MEA (Malt Extract Agar)
ref name=larsen1988 /> * In 0.05%

cycloheximide Cycloheximide is a naturally occurring fungicide produced by the bacterium '' Streptomyces griseus''. Cycloheximide exerts its effects by interfering with the translocation step in protein synthesis (movement of two tRNA molecules and mRNA in re ...

The mat diameter of the fungus depends on temperature, but the optimal growth temperature is around 36 °C, and the maximum temperature without growth (not killed) is 44 °C. Even though all parts of the fungus could be darkened by 2% KOH, only the hyphae can be stained by phloxine, a reddish dye. Furthermore, ''Tropicoporus tropicalis'' is also found to be highly resistant to

caspofungin Caspofungin ( INN; brand name Cancidas) is a lipopeptide antifungal drug from Merck & Co., Inc. It is a member of a class of antifungals termed the echinocandins. It works by inhibiting the enzyme (1→3)-β-D-glucan synthase and thereby di ...

and

posaconazole Posaconazole, sold under the brand name Noxafil among others, is a triazole antifungal medication. It was approved for medical use in the European Union in October 2005, and in the United States in September 2006. It is available as a generic ...

, two different anti-fungal compounds.

Ecology and habitat

''Tropicoporus tropicalis'' is a

poroid {{Short pages monitor