Ganoderma curtisii, Firstly Reported from Districts Lahore and Gujranwala of Punjab Province, Pakistan

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The current study presents a Ganoderma sp., as a new record from three different localities of districts Lahore and Gujranwala of Punjab province, Pakistan. Based on morpho-anatomical characteristics, collected specimens were identified as Ganoderma curtisii. The macroscopic and microscopic features of G. curtisii include; semicircular to kidney shaped laccate pileus that is beautifully lacquered, duplex context, resinous bands, no concentric growth zones, pore surface white to cream brown and sub circular to circular pores, stipe lateral making an angle with the pileus (45-90 degrees), basidiospores 11.4 × 5.7 µm, ellipsoidal with the hyaline vesicular appendix double walled, trimitic hyphal system and club shaped cutis. The detailed study of different Ganoderma species from the published literature and comparisons with those species confirmed the identity of our specimen as G. curtisii. In this article, taxonomic descriptions, micrographs and illustrations elaborate the morphological and anatomical characters of Ganoderma curtisii, a distribution map of this species across Pakistan and a comparison table of morphoanatomical characteristics of Ganoderma curtisii reported from neighbouring countries is given. Conduction of molecular studies, investigation of ecological roles, development of conservational strategies, and exploration of biotechnological exploration are future perspectives for this taxon.