Echinochaete brachypora (core polyporoid clade, Basidiomycota) is currently accepted as a pantropical species, reported from the Neotropics, Tropical Africa, and Southeast Asia. Morphological and DNA-based phylogenetic data showed, however, that collections of E. brachypora, from various biogeographic origins over the presumed range, are distributed into four well-defined, well-supported clades, or phylogenetic species, that are geographic-based. In tropical Africa, it corresponds to Echinochaete patouillardii comb. nov. (Basionym Hexagonia patouillardii) and Echinochaete riftensis sp.nov. These two species have a disjoint distribution, with E. patouillardii spanning over the lowland Guineo-Congolian rainforest whereas E. riftensis inhabits the medium elevation forests of the African,Eastern rift. Echinochaete brachypora s.s. is in all probability endemic to the Neotropics. Tropical Asian E. brachypora also represent a distinct phylogenetic lineage, for which several names could be considered, following type studies.