Phylogenetic assessment of Chromocyphellaceae (Agaricineae, Basidiomycota) and a new lamellate species of Chromocyphella

ABSTRACT

Cyphelloid fungi represent a polyphyletic assemblage of reduced agarics, including the brown-spored family Chromocyphellaceae. In order to elucidate the phylogenetic position of Chromocyphellaceae, newly generated sequences of Chromocyphella were included in a multigene alignment of the Agaricineae and phylogenetically analyzed. The current analyses show that the Chromocyphella muscicola specimen used to phylogenetically place Chromocyphellaceae in its original description was misidentified and that the Chromocyphellaceae nests in the Hymenogastraceae, Chromocyphella being sister to Flammula. Chromocyphella is emended, including now a new species with lamellate and stipitate basidiomata, C. lamellata. The name Cymbella crouanii, type species of Chromocyphella, is lecto- and epitypified. Our analyses support a new origin of cyphelloid fungi. The shift to a cyphelloid basidioma from an agaric ancestor is suggested to have occurred in two evolutionary steps in Chromocyphella, an initial reduction in basidioma size and a subsequent loss of lamellae and stipe.

KEYWORDS:

• Agaricales
• Cyphellaceae
• cyphelloid
• Laurisilva
• Phaeosolenia

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We wish to express our gratitude to Mr. A. Priego and Mr. J.A. Pérez of the Electron Microscopy Service of the University of Alcalá de Henares for their invaluable help with the SEM. We also thank Luis Monje of the Department of Drawing and Scientific Photography at the Alcalá University for his help in the digital preparation of the photographs, and we are grateful to Dr. J. Rejos, curator of the AH herbarium for his assistance with the specimens examined in the present study. We also would like to acknowledge Henning Knudsen for examining specimen C-F-62443 of Chromocyphella muscicola and for his collaborative attitude. Genevieve E. Tocci (née Lewis-Gentry) is thanked for sending us valuable information on the Cymbella crouanii specimen in the Patouillard herbarium (FH).

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