''Trulla'' is a fungal

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 ...

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 ...

containing six species 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, ...

s. It 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 mycologists Otto Miettinen and

Leif Ryvarden Leif Randulff Ryvarden (born 9 August 1935) is a Norwegian mycologist. Early life and education Leif Ryvarden was born in Bergen as a son of Einar Norberg Johansen (1900–1959) and Hjørdis Randulff (1912–1975). He finished his secondary ed ...

in 2016, as a continuation of prior work that outlined a revised framework for the Steccherinaceae based on

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 ...

. Its closest relative in the Steccherinaceae is the genus '' Nigroporus'', from which it differs in its light-coloured

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 ...

and monomitic

context In semiotics, linguistics, sociology and anthropology, context refers to those objects or entities which surround a ''focal event'', in these disciplines typically a communicative event, of some kind. Context is "a frame that surrounds the event ...

. The generic name ''Trulla'', from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

word for a type of pan with handle (for which see Staffordshire Moorlands Pan), alludes to the spatulate (spoon-like) shape of the fruit bodies. Microscopic characteristics of the genus include

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 ...

that are curved and cylindrical, cyanophilic 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 (

staining Staining is a technique used to enhance contrast in samples, generally at the Microscope, microscopic level. Stains and dyes are frequently used in histology (microscopic study of biological tissue (biology), tissues), in cytology (microscopic ...

blue if the microscopic stain Lactophenol Cotton Blue is applied) and slightly thick-walled, wide generative hyphae in the context.

Species

''Trulla'' contains six species that were transferred from various other polypore genera, including '' Antrodiella'', ''

Polyporus ''Polyporus'' is a genus of poroid fungi in the family Polyporaceae. Taxonomy Italian botanist Pier Antonio Micheli introduced the genus in 1729 to include 14 species featuring fruit bodies with centrally-placed stipes, and pores on the unders ...

'', '' Leptoporus'', '' Coriolus'', and '' Tyromyces''. Additional

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

analysis may reveal more species hidden in the ''T. duracina''

species complex In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

. *'' Trulla crustulina'' (Bres.) Miettinen (2016) *'' Trulla dentipora'' (Ryvarden & Iturr.) Miettinen & Ryvarden (2016) *'' Trulla duracina'' (Pat.) Miettinen (2016) *'' Trulla meridae'' Miettinen & Ryvarden (2016) *'' Trulla ochrotinctella'' (Murrill) Miettinen (2016) *'' Trulla polyporoides'' (Ryvarden & Iturr.) Miettinen & Ryvarden (2016)

Distribution

Most species of ''Trulla'' are found 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, although in some cases the distribution extends to south

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

regions in North America and Asia. Like all members of the Steccherinaceae, ''Trulla'' are wood-decay fungi that cause a

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 ...

in dead wood.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q30106538 Steccherinaceae Taxa named by Leif Ryvarden Polyporales genera Taxa described in 2016