Cortinarius sect. Riederi: taxonomy and phylogeny of the new section with European and North American distribution

New Insights into Alpine Cortinariaceae (Basidiomycota): Three New Species, Two Type Revisions, and a New Record for the Alpine Zone

Thirty-one alpine species of Cortinarius (Agaricales, Cortinariaceae) were described from the alpine zone of the Alps during the second half of the XX century, by the Swiss mycologist Jules Favre, and by the French mycologists Denise Lamoure and Marcel Bon. Notoriously difficult to identify by macro- and microscopical characters, most of these species, which belong to subgen. Telamonia, have been thoroughly revised in global publications based on type sequencing. Recent surveys in the alpine areas of France (Savoie) and Italy (Lombardy), as well as the sequencing of D. Lamoure's collections, identified three new species that are here described and illustrated: C. dryadophilus in sect. Castanei, C. infidus in sect. Verni, and C. saniosopygmaeus in sect. Saniosi. The holotypes of C. caesionigrellus Lamoure and C. paleifer var. brachyspermus Lamoure could be sequenced. A recent collection of the former is described and illustrated here for the first time, and based on available data, the latter name is recombined as Cortinarius flexipes var. brachyspermus comb. nov. Lastly, C. argenteolilacinus var. dovrensis is reported from the alpine zone for the first time and a new combination, Thaxterogaster dovrensis comb. & stat. nov. is introduced in the present work.

Taxonomy and phylogeny of the phlegmacioid clade Camptori (Cortinarius s.l., Basidiomycota) in Europe with description of four new species

In this study, we investigate the phylogeny and taxonomy of the /Camptori clade sensu Soop et al. (2019a). Based on combined nrDNA ITS phylogenetic, morphological, and ecological analyses, the clade includes six species in Europe, four of which are described here as new to science: Cortinarius malavalii, C. marklundii, C. violaceoserrulatus, and C. viridocaelestinus. We also provide a taxonomic revision of the two known species in the clade, C. camptoros and C. viridocoeruleus. In its current concept, the /Camptori clade is mostly represented in frondose woodlands of southern Europe and none of the species is found in the boreal coniferous zones of Northern Europe. Three species are strictly thermophilous Mediterranean-submediterranean species associated mainly with southern Quercus spp., whereas C. camptoros is found mainly in montane Abies forests, and C. marklundii reaches boreonemoral Tilia-Corylus sites in S Scandinavia and alpine Dryas sites in Spain. An identification key to the species is presented.

Taming the beast: a revised classification of Cortinariaceae based on genomic data

Family Cortinariaceae currently includes only one genus, Cortinarius, which is the largest Agaricales genus, with thousands of species worldwide. The species are important ectomycorrhizal fungi and form associations with many vascular plant genera from tropicals to arctic regions. Genus Cortinarius contains a lot of morphological variation, and its complexity has led many taxonomists to specialize in particular on infrageneric groups. The previous attempts to divide Cortinarius have been shown to be unnatural and the phylogenetic studies done to date have not been able to resolve the higher-level classification of the group above section level. Genomic approaches have revolutionized our view on fungal relationships and provide a way to tackle difficult groups. We used both targeted capture sequencing and shallow whole genome sequencing to produce data and to perform phylogenomic analyses of 75 single-copy genes from 19 species. In addition, a wider 5-locus analysis of 245 species, from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, was also done. Based on our results, a classification of the family Cortinariaceae into ten genera—Cortinarius, Phlegmacium, Thaxterogaster, Calonarius, Aureonarius, Cystinarius, Volvanarius, Hygronarius, Mystinarius, and Austrocortinarius—is proposed. Seven genera, 10 subgenera, and four sections are described as new to science and five subgenera are introduced as new combinations in a new rank. In addition, 41 section names and 514 species names are combined in new genera and four lecto- and epitypes designated. The position of Stephanopus in suborder Agaricineae remains to be studied. Targeted capture sequencing is used for the first time in fungal taxonomy in Basidiomycetes. It provides a cost-efficient way to produce -omics data in species-rich groups. The -omics data was produced from fungarium specimens up to 21 years old, demonstrating the value of museum specimens in the study of the fungal tree of life. This study is the first family revision in Agaricales based on genomics data and hopefully many others will soon follow.

Cortinarius pakistanicus and C. pseudotorvus: two new species in oak forests in the Pakistan Himalayas

The genus of basidiomycetous fungi Cortinarius occurs worldwide, from subtropical to boreal latitudes. Although molecular systematics has triggered the study of these fungi in the Americas and Europe in the last two decades, there is still limited research on its diversity in large portions of the planet, such as the high mountain ranges of Asia. Several collections of Cortinarius were made during mycological field trips conducted between 2014 and 2018 in pure oak forests in the Pakistan Himalayas. An integrative framework combining morphological and phylogenetic data was employed for their study. As a result, the two species C.pakistanicus and C.pseudotorvus are here described as new to science. Detailed macro- and micro-morphological descriptions, including SEM images of spores, and a molecular phylogenetic reconstruction based on nrITS sequence data are provided and used to discriminate the new species from morphologically and phylogenetically close taxa. Whereas our phylogenetic tree inference gave unequivocal support for the inclusion of C.pseudotorvus within C.sect.Telamonia, the assignment of C.pakistanicus to any known sections remained elusive. These species likely establish ectomycorrhizal associations with trees in the genus Quercus, making this type of forest in the Pakistan Himalayas a promising focus for future research on the diversity of Cortinarius.

Three new species of Cortinarius subgenus Telamonia (Cortinariaceae, Agaricales) from China

Cortinarius is an important ectomycorrhizal genus that forms a symbiotic relationship with certain trees, shrubs and herbs. Recently, we began studying Cortinarius in China and here we describe three new species of Cortinarius subg. Telamonia based on morphological and ecological characteristics, together with phylogenetic analyses. Cortinariuslaccariphyllussp. nov. (section Colymbadini) is associated with broadleaf trees, with strongly hygrophanous basidiomata, special Laccaria-like lamellae and white and extremely sparse universal veil. Cortinariusneotorvussp. nov. (section Telamonia) is associated with broadleaf trees and is easily confused with C.torvus, but can be distinguished by the colour of the fresh basidiomes and the stipe usually somewhat tapering towards the base. Cortinariussubfuscoperonatussp. nov. (section Fuscoperonati) is associated with coniferous trees, with subglobose to broadly ellipsoid spores and is closely related to C.fuscoperonatus. A key to the new species and similar species in sections Colymbadini, Telamonia and Fuscoperonati is provided.