Inonotus rickii (Agaricomycetes, Hymenochaetaceae) in Brazilian Cerrado: Expanding Its Geographic Distribution and Host List

Inonotus rickii(Pat.) Reid (Agaricomycetes: Hymenochaetaceae) is a poroid fungus characterized by the expressive production of chlamydospores,in vivoandin vitro, especially during its anamorphic stage. The species plays important ecological roles, standing out as a phytopathogen, affecting several species of ornamental and wild trees, mainly in tropical and subtropical regions. The infected trees develop canker and white rot of the wood, showing symptoms of reduced vegetative vigor and decline of leaves and branches which causes death in some cases. The first record ofI. rickiifor the Cerrado biome (Brazilian Savanna) and the first record as causal agent of canker inSchinus molleL. in Brazil is reported here. In addition, we present a checklist of its worldwide geographical distribution and known hosts, from an extensive bibliographic search in Google Scholar, SciELO, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. The species is widespread in tropical and subtropical zones; common in the American continent, especially in Central and South America and the Mediterranean region, and rare in temperate zones. We found specimens growing in both living and dead hosts, totalizing 70 species of hosts, distributed in 43 genera and 22 families. Of these,Acer negundoL. (10.5%),Celtis australisL. (6.5%), andPlatanus acerifolia(Aiton) Willd. (4.8%), and the Fabaceae (30%), Fagaceae (10%), and Sapindaceae (8.6%) families were the most frequent. We present morphological descriptions and illustrations, as well as the growth characteristics in culture medium. Our study expands the known geographical distribution ofI. rickii, including the Cerrado biome, as well as its structural, physiological characteristics, and its hosts.