New records of wood inhabiting fungal species from Kondapalli reserved forest of Central Eastern Ghats, India

Wood inhabiting fungi that grow specifically on leaf litter, wood debris, humus rich soil of forest helps in biodegradation and increase soil fertility. The fruiting bodies of fungi were collected from partially dead forest trees, fallen wooden logs, leaf litter and decomposing humus rich soil of Kondapalli forest area, Central Eastern Ghats of India. Detailed macroscopic and microscopic study of collected fungal samples revealed the occurrence of wood inhabiting fungi belonging to 7 genera and 9 species; i.e. Geastrum triplex Jungh., Marasmius siccus (Schweinitz) Fries, M. fulvoferrugineus Gilliam, M. oreades (Bolt.: Fries) Fries Epicr. Lactarius piperatus (L.) Pers., Flammulina velutipes (Curtis) Singer, Artomyces microsporus (Qiu X. Wu & R. H. Petersen) Lickey, Hymenochaetopsis rigidula (Berk. & M. A. Curtis) S. H. He & Jiao Yang and Bjerkandera adusta (Willd: Fr.) Karst. For the first time, A. microsporus (Qiu X. Wu & R. H. Petersen) Lickey and H. rigidula (Berk. & M. A. Curtis) S. H. He & Jiao Yang., were reported from India. M. fulvoferrugineus Gilliam was reported second time from India. The wood inhabiting fungi were new records to Kondapalli forest area, Central Eastern Ghats of India.


Introduction
About one billion years ago, the Kingdom Mycota becomes an independent eukaryotic line under evolution (1). In the world about 1.5 -5.1 million fungi have been estimated by mycologists (2). Out of which, about one lakh fungi were described and the available numbers of fungal species in the entire world was not very well known (3). Giving names to fungi was the key of knowledge gaining (4). Morphological identification of fungi was highly difficult in case of non-sporulating fungi (5). So morphology based identification was overruled by modern molecular systems; this uses molecular study of DNA sequence; resolves major taxonomical problems, and evolutionary relationship among fungi (6,7). This is the time to combine both morphological and molecular taxonomy, to solve the taxonomical problems, to utilize it in classification systems, evolution and past evolutionary relationships among fungi.
Wood-inhabiting fungi were an ecologically, economically, pharmacologically, medicinally and industrially important group of higher basidiomycetous macroscopic forms. The tropical region was hosting the highest mycodiversity has been inadequately sampled by mycologists and the mycoflora was scarcely documented (8,9). The tropical country like Indian the mycodiversity literature shows the reports (10) on the investigations on the diversity of wood inhabiting fungi in Sarkaghat region of district Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, North-Western Himalaya, India. Two species of brown rot causing wood decaying polypores observed in the forests of Western Maharashtra, India were Daedalea africana and D. quercina (11). The applied aspects of wood inhabiting fungi were explained (12). The reports for wood inhabiting fungi from Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh is lacking. In this line, only few works had been conducted (14,16).
In India, the Eastern Ghats spread about 75000 Sq. km of area, with 200 km width in North and 100 km width in the South. In the 15°43' and 17°10' north latitude and 80°00' and 81°33' east longitude, the Central Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh is situated (13). In between Northern and Central Eastern Ghats, the Kondapalli forest area of Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, is situated with diverse of flora and fauna (14). The forest occupies 9% of the total district area i.e. 30000 acres as deciduous forest with the scrub infringes (14). The Kondapalli bhommallu also called Kondapalli toys has been made from Tella poniki wood (15). The present study aims at the phenotypical identification of wood inhabiting fungi from the Eastern Ghats of South India.

Phenotypical identification
The tropical forest of Kondapalli is one of the preserved forests in the Krishna district; which covers 120 km 2 area was protected by Andhra Pradesh Forest Department. (14). A survey was conducted in different seasons of 2017 to 2019, and different wood inhabiting fungi was collected in clean polythene bags and brought to the lab for phenotypical identification. The fungal bodies were examined for morphological characters based on the standard method (14,16,17).

Results and Discussion
Out of 50 wood inhabiting fungi collected, nine was identified and all wood inhabiting fungi were new records to Kondapalli forest area. For the first time, Fruiting body is fragmented; the largest one is 6.5 cm in length x 3.2 cm in wide, profusely branched, yellowish white. Branches forming to 7 ranks, 4 to 6 per node, unequal, up to 2 mm in diameter ( Fig. 2-E); Tips of upper surface coronate-cristate, pale ochraceous buff and pale pinkish cinnamon; Hymenium surface of dried specimen ochraceous buff, apices cinnamon rufous ( Fig. 2 Fruiting body is annual, effuse -reflexed, sessile, forms thin, leathery brackets one above the other, 2.2 -8.5 x 2.5 -4.8 x 0.6 cm; upper surface grayish to white, tomentose when young at maturity glabrous, often uneven, zonated; margin irregular, whitish when young; Hymenium surface gray coloured, finely pored ( Fig. 3-C), microscopic, 5 -7 per mm, round, grey when young, blackish with age; tube layer 2.5 mm deep; Hyphal system monomitic; hyphae with abundant clamp connections. Context is 1.5 -3.2 mm thick, tough, leathery, creamish yellow, lacking a black line in tube layer. Basidiospores elliptical, inamyloid, smooth, 4.24 -6.25 x 2.5 -3.5 µm in size, in Potassium hydroxide hyaline; Setae absent. Cystidia absent; slightly astringent smell.
It is identified by a sticky nature, orange-brown colour cap and dark, finely pubescent stalk. In coastal Northern California it is commonly seen at the base of senescent bush lupine (Lupinus arboreus) (18). The present study reveals that this fungal specimen is growing on decomposing soil along with some Bryophytes.
G. triplex forms ectomycorrhizal with roots of Terminalia paniculata Roth. It was also found near the tree bases of Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam., Canarium strictum Roxb. and Mangifera indica L. G. triplex occurs in grasslands and moist-deciduous to Shola forests in Sasthanada, Kollam district, Kerala (19). It was also reported from the forest areas dominated by T. paniculata in Kuvempu University campus (Karnataka) (20). This Geaster was ectomycorrhizal with Shorea robusta Gaertn. in tropical moist deciduous forests of central India (21). Macro fungi from Mountains, Grassland and Forest areas of North Maharashtra reported fourteen species belonging to thirteen genera like G. triplex (22). In the present study, the wood inhabiting fungi was found to be growing on humus, leaf litter and compost, in deciduous wood land area of Kondapalli forest area. Fruiting body is effused, lightly elevated margins, coriaceous, brittle when dry, very thin, several centimeters in extent reflexed part short and broad attached to dead wood ( Fig. 3-A). Hymenium surface smooth, resupinate, tuberculate, slightly irregularly cracked, brown in young, grayish brown with age, margin distinct ( Fig. 3-B). Hyphal system monomitic, generative hyphae without clamps, thin-walled, branched, Basidia clavate, 4 sterigmate, 17.1 x 3.9 μm in diameter. Basidiospores cylindrical, slightly curved, 5.1 × 1.5 μm in size. Setal-hyphae, brownish 4.25 -6.85 μm in diameter. Setae dark brown, thickwalled, fusiform, 40.25 -57.24 μm in diameter.
The L. piperatus (L.) Pers. is an edible mushroom belong to Russulaceae found in sub-tropical semievergreen forests (23). In the present study this wood inhabiting fungi was found to be growing on decomposing leafy litter soil of Kondapalli forest.
It is found growing either scattered or gregariously in mixed woods in the North-Eastern United States and adjacent Canada (24). It was found growing scattered on dicotyledonous leaf litter and fallen twigs in mixed forests of Jasrota Wildlife Sanctuary Jammu and Kashmir, at an altitude of 550 m (25). In the present study, this wood inhabiting fungi was found to be growing on humus to decomposing tree litter soil of Kondapalli forest. Fruiting body bell-shaped with in rolled margin at first, broadly convex with an even margin, with slight central bump; dry; bald; white; changing color as it dries out; the margin faintly lined 2 -7 cm in size ( Fig. 1-B). Hymenium surface gilled attached to the stem; nearly distant; white. Stalk: equal; dry; tough, pliant; whitish, 3.4 -9.5 cm x 1.25 -6.2 mm in size ( Fig. 1-C)
Macro-fungi from Mountains, Grassland and Forest areas of North Maharashtra reported fourteen species belonging to thirteen genera like M. siccus (22). In the present study, this wood inhabiting fungi was found growing on humus to leaf litter and compost soil of Kondapalli forest.

Conclusion
Wood inhabiting fungi that grow specifically on leaf litter, wood debris, humus rich soil of forest helps in biodegradation, recycling the nutrients and increase soil fertility. Fruiting bodies of fungi were collected partially dead trees, fallen wooden logs, leaf litter and decomposing humus rich soil of Kondapalli forest area, Central Eastern Ghats, India. Out of 50 wood inhabiting fungal samples collected, nine was identified up to species level belonging to 7 genera; i.e. were new records to Kondapalli forest, Central Eastern Ghats, South India. These wood inhabiting fungi was helping the forest soil rich with nutrients and also increase the fertility of soil. These fungi were indirectly helping in increasing the flora of the forest.