Fungal DNA barcode (ITS nrDNA) reveals more diversity than expected in Tulostoma from Macedonia

Authors: KATERINA RUSEVSKA, Franciso de Diego CALONGE, MITKO KARADELEV, MARÍA PAZ MARTÍN

Abstract: With the aim of clarifying the number of Tulostoma species in Macedonia, and to verify some previous collections, molecular analyses were carried out on four morphologically identified species collected in different habitats (at the edges of oak or juniper forests, pine plantations, meadows, rocky places, roadsides). Sixty-two new sequences were generated and compared with recently published sequences included in public databases. According to the barcoding sequences fourteen Tulostoma species are identified in Macedonia and ten of them were assigned to known species: Tulostoma brumale , T. fimbriatum/, T. lusitanicum, T. cf. moravecii, T. melanocyclum, T. punctatum, T. simulans, T. squamosum, T. subsquamosum, and T. winterhoffii. However, four of them remain as Tulostoma sp. 1, 2, 3, and 4, since more collections should be found and analyzed before giving them a specific name.

Keywords: Morphology, molecular analyses, phylogeny, stalked puffballs, taxonomy

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