Polypores are a group of fungi that form large fruiting bodies with pores or tubes on the underside. They are a morphological group of basidiomycetes-like gilled mushrooms and hydnoid fungi, and not all polypores are closely related to each other. Polypores are also called bracket fungi or shelf fungi, and they characteristically produce woody, shelf- or bracket-shaped or occasionally circular fruiting bodies that are called conks.
Skeletocutis is a genus of about 40 species of poroid fungi in the family Polyporaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, although most species are found in the Northern Hemisphere. It causes a white rot in a diverse array of woody substrates, and the fruit bodies grow as a crust on the surface of the decaying wood. Sometimes the edges of the crust are turned outward to form rudimentary bracket-like caps.
Pycnoporellus alboluteus, commonly known as the orange sponge polypore, is a species of polypore fungus in the family Fomitopsidaceae. Distributed throughout the boreal conifer zone, the fungus is found in mountainous regions of western North America, and in Europe. It causes a brown cubical rot of conifer wood, especially spruce, but also fir and poplar. The soft, spongy orange fruit bodies grow spread out on the surface of fallen logs. Mature specimens have tooth-like or jagged pore edges. A snowbank mushroom, P. alboluteus can often be found growing on logs or stumps protruding through melting snow. Although the edibility of the fungus and its usage for human culinary purposes are unknown, several species of beetles use the fungus as a food source.
Skeletocutis alutacea is a species of poroid fungus in the family Polyporaceae. It was described as new to science in 1946 by American mycologist Josiah Lincoln Lowe as Poria alutacea. Jean Keller transferred it to the genus Skeletocutis in 1979. It is found in the United States and Canada, in Europe, and New Zealand, where it causes a white rot in various woody substrates.
Skeletocutis amorpha is a species of poroid fungus in the family Polyporaceae, and the type species of the genus Skeletocutis.
Skeletocutis borealis is a rare species of poroid fungus in the family Polyporaceae. Found in northern Europe, it was described as new to science in 1998 by Finnish mycologist Tuomo Niemelä.
Skeletocutis brevispora is a species of poroid crust fungus in the family Polyporaceae. It was described as new to science in 1998 by Finnish mycologist Tuomo Niemelä.
Skeletocutis chrysella is a species of poroid crust fungus in the family Polyporaceae. Found primarily in Northern Europe, it has a boreal distribution, and has also been collected in East Karelia, Yakutia, and North America. It is classified as a vulnerable species on the Norwegian Red list, where it is considered to be declining.
Skeletocutis albocremea is a species of poroid fungus in the family Polyporaceae. It was described as new to science by Alix David in 1982. It was reported as new to Russia in 2004.
Skeletocutis carneogrisea is a species of poroid crust fungus in the family Polyporaceae. It was described as new to science by Alix David in 1982. It is found in Europe, South America, and China.
Skeletocutis azorica is a species of poroid fungus in the family Polyporaceae. It has only been found in Portugal.
Skeletocutis diluta is a species of poroid crust fungus in the family Polyporaceae. It was first described by Mario Rajchenberg in 1983 as a variety of Skeletocutis nivea. Rajchenberg and Alex David promoted the taxon to independent species status in 1992. The type specimen was collected in Puerto Esperanza, Misiones (Argentina), where it was found growing on Pinus taeda logs in a subtropical forest. It has since been found in Gabon. Skeletocutis diluta has effused-reflexed fruit bodies, meaning they are crust-like with a margin that is extended and bent backwards. It has small allantoid (sausage-shaped) spores measuring 3.1–3.5 by 0.5–0.8 μm. It features a dimitic hyphal system, but the skeletal hyphae dissolve in solution of potassium hydroxide.
Skeletocutis subvulgaris is a species of poroid, white rot fungus in the family Polyporaceae. Found in China, it was described as a new species in 1998 by mycologist Yu-Chen Dai. It was named for its resemblance to Skeletocutis vulgaris. The type collection was made in Hongqi District, Jilin Province, where it was found growing on the rotting wood of Korean pine.
Skeletocutis pseudo-odora is a species of poroid crust fungus in the family Polyporaceae. It was described as a new species by Chinese mycologists in 2017. The type specimen was collected from Leigongshan Nature Reserve in Leishan County, Guizhou Province. It was growing on a fallen branch of Chinese white pine, at an altitude of 1,800 metres (5,900 ft). The fungus is named after its similarity to Skeletocutis odora.
Amylocystis lapponica is a species of bracket fungus in the family Fomitopsidaceae, and the type species of genus Amylocystis. It produces medium-sized, annual fruit bodies that are soft, and have a strong, distinct smell. The fungus is a saprophyte that feeds on coniferous wood of logs lying on the ground, and causes brown rot. It is a rather rare species that only occurs in old-growth forest.
Skeletocutis nothofagi is a rare species of poroid crust fungus in the family Polyporaceae that is found in South America. It has been proposed for inclusion in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to its highly restricted distribution and rare occurrence.
Skeletocutis friata is a rare species of poroid crust fungus in the family Polyporaceae. Found in Finland, it was first described as a new species in 1998 by Tuomo Niemelä and Reima Saarenoksa, with the name Skeletocutis friabilis. It was given the epithet friata three years later, after it was discovered that a tropical Asian species had already been given the name Skeletocutis friabilis, with a publication date two months prior to theirs. The holotype was collected by Saarenoksa in Sipoo, southern Finland, where it was found growing on the bark and exposed wood of a fallen twig of common alder. The authors later noted that subsequent searching of the type locality, as well as other locations in southern Finland, failed to turn up additional examples of this species.
Skeletocutis papyracea is a species of poroid crust fungus in the family Polyporaceae. It was described as new to science by Alix David in 1982. The type was collected in France, where it was found growing on a fallen trunk of Scots pine. The fungus was reported in northeastern China in 2005, and in Lithuania in 2013. A microscope is useful for identification of this fungus: it differs from other Skeletocutis by the fact that its skeletal hyphae dissolve in 5% KOH solution.
Diplomitoporus flavescens is a species of poroid crust fungus in the family Polyporaceae.
Skeletocutis stellae is a species of fungus belonging to the family Polyporaceae.
