Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Selected Macrofungi in Northern Areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

Present study dealt with morphological and molecular characterization of macrofungi in northern parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. This region represents floristically a rich part of Pakistan comprising well-known mountainous ranges of Himalaya and Hindu Kush, but a very few macrofungal surveys have been conducted so far. The present study was therefore endeavored to report some macrofungal species occurring in woodland and forest ecosystems of Northern parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Field surveys and collections of specimens were carried out at different sites of the study area during the years 2013‒2016. For collections, drying, preservation, micro-morphological and molecular characterization of the collected specimens, standard protocols were used. A total of 88 species belonging to 30 families and 57 genera are being reported and described in detail, of which 75 species belong to Basidiomycota and 11 to Ascomycota. Identity of 59 species was confirmed through molecular data inferred from nITS region. Out of the described species more than thirty percent showed their novelty. Albatrellus roseus, Amanita griseofusca, Clavariadelphus elongates, Descolea quercina, Gymnopilus swaticus and Phaeocollybia pakistanica have been published as new species and 25 other species are proposed as new to science including: Albatrellopsis flettiodes nom.prov., Amanita ahmadii nom.prov., A. cinerea nom.prov., Butyriboletus pakistanicus nom.prov., Caloboletus alpinus nom.prov., Cortinarius clavatus nom.prov., C. longistipes nom.prov., C. striatus nom.prov., Inocybe pallidorimosa nom.prov., I. salicetum nom.prov., Lactarius furcatilamellatus nom.prov., L. maireiodes nom.prov., Leucoagaricus campestris nom.prov., Lycoperdon microsporon nom.prov., Oudemansiella sparslamellata nom.prov., Phaeocollybia varicolor nom.prov., Pholiota microcarpa nom.prov., Pluteus iii populicola nom.prov., Pterula bisporitica nom.prov., Rhodocybe luteus nom.prov., Russula similis nom.prov., Tricholoma conicosulphureum nom.prov., Tricholomopsis robustus nom.prov., T. umbonatus nom.prov. and Veloporphyrellus purpureus nom.prov. Furthermore, 28 species are new records for Pakistani mycobiota viz., Agrocybe elatella, Amanita pallidorosea, Caloscypha fulgens, Coltricia abieticola, Coriolopsis gallica, Gymnopilus penetrans, Gymnopus dysodes, Hebeloma rostratum, Helvella leucopus, H. macropus, H. maculata, H. solitaria, Hericium cirrhatum, Inocybe putilla, Jahnoporus oreinus, Lactarius mediterraneensis, L. pterosporus, Lactifluus versiformis, L. volemus, Lanmaoa angustispora., Lepista panaeolus, Leucopaxillus giganteus, Russula kangchenjungae, R. olivacea, R. postiana, Verpa conica, Volvariella hypopithys and Volvopluteus earlei. Of these Amanita pallidorosea and lactifluus volemus have been published. Genera including Albatrellopsis, Albatrellus, Butyriboletus, Caloboletus, Caloscypha, Jahnoprus, Lanmaoa, Phaeocollybia, Pterula, Veloporphyrellus and Volvopluteus are addition to the fungi of Pakistan. The most abundant and diverse family was Russulaceae with 11 species distributed among 3 genera, followed by Agaricacea, Amanitaceae and Tricholomataceae with 7 species each. Boletaceae, Helvellaceae and Hymenogastraceae are represented by 6 species each. Results of the study reveals that northern parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are rich in terms of macrofungi and there may be many other species awaiting documentation. This study therefore recommends further and in-depth surveys on exploration of macrofungi in woodland and forest ecosystems of the Northern parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in particular iv and other parts of Pakistan in general. Published work form present PhD project is listed as annexure-A.