Three New Species of Cortinarius From Kashmir Himalayan Coniferous Forests Based On Morphological And Molecular Evidence

Abstract

Cortinarius is the largest genus of mushroom forming fungi with several subgenera having ectomycorrhizal associations with coniferous trees and other plants. In view of limited studies on this speciose genus from the Himalayan region, a morpho-molecular phylogenetic approach was employed to study this taxon. Phylogenetic analysis and Bayesian inference of nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS barcode) separated these sequences along with the identical sequences from Gene bank into three distinct clads with high bootstrap values suggesting the possibility of new taxa. The new species were found to possess some diagnostic features that separated them from other closely related species in each section. Based on our study in the Kashmir Himalayan forests, we report three new species of Cortinarius from the Indian subcontinent. The identified species, C. cibum, C. neocephalixus, and C. nigricans belong to subgenera Myxacium, Phlegmacium and Telamonia. A taxonomic description of morphological characters is also provided for each new taxon. This study marks the beginning in studying the Cortinarius genus in Kashmir Himalaya using a combination of nuc rDNA ITS barcode approach together with morphological characters and microscopic spore analysis. The current study will help in filling the knowledge gaps in the study of Cortinarius and will further enrich the public DNA database for ease of comparative studies throughout the world.