AsianScientist (Dec. 29, 2015) – Researchers have explained the species diversity and geographic distribution patterns of the mushroom Physalacria. The Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB) researchers used multi-gene phylogenetic and morphological analyses in a study published in Mycologia.
The genus Physalacria Peck is characterized by the so-called physalacrioid mushrooms that have a bubble-like head and a slender stalk. Previously, more than 30 species of this genus were described in the tropics, while only two from China were documented and their phylogenetic relationships had not been addressed.
The researchers revealed that Physalacria is a natural group of organisms. Eleven species belonging to three major clades were recognized in the study and showed interesting geographic distribution patterns with different latitudes. Three new species, Ph. corneri, Ph. lacrymispora and Ph. sinensis were uncovered and documented, and a dichotomous key to the Asian species of this genus was provided to better facilitate the further study.
The study was conducted by Qin Jiao, a PhD candidate of Professor Yang Zhuliang’s research team at KIB.
The article can be found at: Qin et al. (2015) Three New Species of Physalacria from China, with a Key to the Asian Taxa.
———
Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
