TAXONOMIC PROBLEMS IN THE HETEROBASIDIOMYCETES

Summary Certain taxonomic problems of long standing within the heterobasidiomycete complex are reviewed and recommendations for a rearrangement in the classification of tremellaceous fungi (sensu lato) are suggested whereby the subclass Heterobasidiomycetidae is modified to exclude the Dacrymycetaceae. A new subclass, Metabasidiomycetidae, is erected and includes the holobasidiaceous Dacrymycetaceae and Ceratobasidiaceae as well as the Tulasnellaceae, the latter embracing such genera as Metabourdotia and Pseudotulasnella , which have incompletely divided basidia. The Ceratobasidiaceae as newly constituted, includes besides Ceratobasidium the genera Oliveonia, Thanatephorus , and Uthatobasidium.