A type study of Lactarius sakamotoi and its presence in China

Lactarius sakamotoi (Russulaceae) is here reported from northeastern China. It is the second collection for this species, originally described from Japan. Our detailed study of the type collection revealed that the ornamentation of the basidiospores is not "echinulatis" as mentioned in the protologue, but consists of isolated ridges and warts in a zebroid pattern. This ornamentation, together with the ellipsoid form of the spores, the dark-coloured squamulose pileus, and the thick brown hyphae in the pileipellis delimit the species that is here considered a member of Lactarius subgen. Piperites sect. Piperites. Its counterparts in North America, Europe and tropical Asia are L. purpureoechinatus, L. spinosulus, and L. strigosus respectively.