Cantharellus rhodophyllus is epitypified with a recent collection from the African rain forest and full barcode ITS sequences are provided. After a detailed comparison of the original descriptions and these new collections, C. subincarnatus – introduced as a new name for the invalid C. incarnatus – is considered a later synonym. Phylogenetic analysis using tef-1 sequence data place C. rhodophyllus in Cantharellus subg. Pseudocantharellus and demonstrate that C. subincarnatus subsp. rubrosalmoneus from Madagascar is an independent species that is more closely related to C. miniatescens.