Phylogeny and taxonomy of <i>Ceriporia</i> and other related taxa and description of three new species

Species of <i>Ceriporia</i> (Irpicaceae, Basidiomycota) are saprotrophs or endophytes in forest ecosystems. To evaluate the taxonomy and generic relationships of <i>Ceriporia</i> and other related taxa, we used morphology and multigene phylogenetic analyses based on sequence data from nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS) region, nuc 28S rDNA (28S), and RNA polymerase II largest subunit (<i>rpb1</i>). Our results show that <i>Ceriporia</i> sensu lato is polyphyletic and distributed across multiple clades in the Irpicaceae, Phanerochaetaceae, and Meruliaceae. Some species previously considered in <i>Ceriporia</i> are now recovered in <i>Meruliopsis</i>, resulting in four new combinations: <i>M. albomellea, M. crassitunicata, M. nanlingensis</i>, and <i>M. pseudocystidiata</i>. Two new species of <i>Meruliopsis</i> are described: <i>M. leptocystidiata</i> from northeast China and South Korea and <i>M. parvispora</i> from Taiwan. <i>Ceriporia arbuscula</i> is described as a new species from Taiwan. <i>Ceriporia mellita</i> and <i>Meruliopsis nanlingensis</i> are newly recorded from Japan and Taiwan, and <i>M. taxicola</i> is recorded from Taiwan for the first time.