Crystallodon Alvarenga gen. nov., a new genus of the Auriculariales from the Neotropics

Heterochaete subgelatinosa Bodman (Auriculariales, Basidiomycota) was first described from material collected in Panama and was hitherto exclusively known from the type locality. We recently re-collected specimens of this species in the Atlantic forest of North-eastern Brazil. Morphological and molecular data suggest that H. subgelatinosa is not closely related to other species of Heterochaete Pat. studied with modern methods. Therefore, we here propose the establishment of a new monotypic genus, Crystallodon Alvarenga gen. nov., characterized by the presence of hyphal pegs surrounded by crystals.