Two new species of Tuber previously reported as Tuber malacodermum

ABSTRACT

Recent collections of Tuber malacodermum from Spain, Corsica, and Mexico were compared in an integrative morphological and molecular phylogenetic framework, including study of type material. Phylogenetic analyses of nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 = ITS) and nuc 28S rDNA (28S) regions showed that specimens from Spain and Corsica form a monophyletic group closely related to T. melosporum and T. rufum, whereas Mexican specimens form a clade within the T. lyonii species complex. Peridium and ascospore morphology contribute clear morphological distinctions among specimens from Spain and Corsica, Mexico, and the type specimen of T. malacodermum. Based on results of the morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses, we assigned the specimens from Spain and Corsica to Tuber pustulatum, sp. nov., and the Mexican specimens to Tuber theleascum, sp. nov. We restrict T. malacodermum to the sole type material. Formal descriptions and illustrations of these taxa are provided.

KEYWORDS:

• Ascomycota
• Rufum clade
• truffles
• taxonomy
• 2 new taxa

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to Katja Rembold and Peter Von Ballmoos at the University of Bern for helping us to study the type of Tuber malacodermum; to Bratek Zoltán, Csaba Locsmándi, and Eötvös Loránd at the University of Budapest for checking the peridium of Hungarian specimens labeled as Tuber malacodermum; to Rafael Molina-Comino for the collection of Tuber pustulatum from Andalucia, Córdoba; and Barbara Fiasca, University of L’Aquila, for the help with statistical analysis. We would like to thank two anonymous reviewers and the executive editor Brandon Matheny for their valuable revisions that significantly improved this paper.

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Funding

Gonzalo Guevara thanks CONACYT and PRODEP for research support. Daniele Salvi is supported by the “Rita Levi Montalcini” program (Ministero dell’Istruzione dell’Università e della Ricerca) for the recruitment of young researchers at the University of L’Aquila.