Russula kanadii (Russulaceae, Basidiomycota) is described as a new species from West Bengal, India, and is assigned to the subgenus Heterophyllidia, section Heterophyllae, and subsection Virescentinae. A comprehensive description, photographs, and comparisons with morphologically similar and phylogenetically related species are provided. | Turkish Journal of Botany Research Article Turk J Bot (2015) 39: 850-856 © TÜBİTAK doi: A new species of Russula (Russulaceae) from India based on morphological and molecular (ITS sequence) data Arun Kumar DUTTA, Soumitra PALOI, Prakash PRADHAN, Krishnendu ACHARYA* Molecular and Applied Mycology and Plant Pathology Laboratory, Department of Botany, University College of Science and Agriculture, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India Received: Accepted/Published Online: Printed: Abstract: Russula kanadii (Russulaceae, Basidiomycota) is described as a new species from West Bengal, India, and is assigned to the subgenus Heterophyllidia, section Heterophyllae, and subsection Virescentinae. A comprehensive description, photographs, and comparisons with morphologically similar and phylogenetically related species are provided. Inferences of its phylogenetic relationships within the genus are provided based on the sequence of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Key words: Macrofungi, taxonomy, West Bengal 1. Introduction West Bengal covers an area of approximately 88,752 km2 (21°20′–27°32′N and 85°50′–89°52′E) and lies in the eastern part of India, bordering Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan. This state is typical in its geographical position, having high Himalayan peaks in the north, a combination of Gangetic delta and coastal regions in the south, and large plains in between. Plant communities range from littoral and swamp forests (Sundarbans) and subtropical broadleaved forests (North Bengal hills 300 m–1650 m alt.) to subalpine forests (Sandakpu, Sabarkum, Phalut), while the tropical regions (Bankura, Purulia, Midnapur, Birbhum, Burdwan) are mostly covered by dry deciduous forests. The predominant trees present in the dry deciduous forest are Anogeissus latifolia (Roxb.) Bedd. (Combretaceae), Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb. .
