A new species of Hyphoderma (Meruliaceae, Polyporales) and its discrimination from closely related taxa

Thirty-five corticioid collections from the Canary Islands and Azores Archipelago were examined morphologically and subjected to molecular phylogenetic analysis. These specimens, almost all collected on endemic and/or xerophilic vegetation, were similar in morphological and ecological characteristics to Hypochnicium prosopidis from the Sonoran Desert (Arizona, USA) and Hyphoderma amoenum. Thirty-seven new ITS nrDNA sequences from these specimens, including the nomenclatural type of the above-mentioned species, were obtained and aligned with homologous sequences from GenBank. These collections were distributed in two strongly supported monophyletic clades. However, similar patterns of morphological variability shared by specimens included in both clades and their differences with related species suggest that they should be described as a single new species. Therefore Hyphoderma macaronesicum is proposed. Studies will be required to test, in a more robust multilocus genealogical framework, whether these populations constitute two cryptic species or whether they are the same taxon. The position of Hypochnicium prosopidis in the resolved tree and its morphological characters suggest that it should be included in Hyphoderma and the new combination Hyphoderma prosopidis is proposed.