A three-locus phylogeny of Gyromitra (Discinaceae, Pezizales) and discovery of two cryptic species

ABSTRACT

Gyromitra species are known as “false morels” and produce cerebriform or discoid ascocarps. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, and some species are poisonous. Infrageneric phylogenies based on 28S nuc rDNA (28S) are available, but molecular analyses derived from other genes are lacking. In this study, Gyromitra specimens deposited in HMAS were reexamined. Phylogenies inferred from 28S, nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacers (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 = ITS), and the translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1) gene were obtained, and four clades were revealed among 13 species. Two new cryptic species of Gyromitra, G. pseudogigas, sp. nov. and G. tianshanensis, sp. nov., are described. Gyromitra pseudogigas has saddle-shaped apothecia similar to those of G. infula and is sister to G. gigas in the phylogeny. Gyromitra tianshanensis clusters with G. infula and G. xinjiangensis but differs in morphology and sequence data.

KEYWORDS:

• Gyromitra pseudogigas
• Gyromitra tianshanensis
• new species
• taxonomy
• 2 new taxa

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Dr. Nicolas Van Vooren (Lyon, France) for sending European Gyromitra specimens as a gift, and Dr. K. A. Seifert and anonymous reviewers for valuable suggestions and linguistic corrections.

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 31700014, 31750001) and Key Research Program of Frontier Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (QYZDY-SSW-SMC029).