First mycological assessment in hydrothermal caves of Monte Kronio (Sicily, southern Italy)

Abstract

A mycological investigation carried out in the hydrothermal caves of Monte Kronio, located in Sicily (southern Italy), is reported. This particular hydrothermal cave system is characterized by temperatures up to 37 °C and relative humidity close to 100%. In spite of the harsh conditions, which are prohibitive for most organisms, we counted 160 vital Morphological Taxonomic Units and identified 14 taxa during a survey of the system. The most prevalent genera were Penicillium, Cladosporium and Trametes. Furthermore, we report the first recorded occurrence of Metarhizium flavoviride var. flavoviride in a hypogean environment.

Keywords:

• Fungi
• hydrothermal systems
• extreme environments
• molecular identification
• culturable strains