Tales of the unexpected II: two new angiocarpic representatives of Russulaceae (Russulales, Basidiomycota) from tropical Southeast Asia

2026/03/06 by Lowie Tondeleir, Mario Amalfi, Dirk Stubbe +1 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Medicine · #Fungal Biology and Applications #Lichen and fungal ecology #Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions

paper · pdf · doi:10.3897/mycokeys.129.177637

openalex publication_date 2026/03/06 · openalex created_date 2026/03/07 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02

Abstract

The evolution of angiocarpic fruiting bodies has occurred numerous times across Russulaceae (Russulales, Basidiomycota). A unique example of a tropical region with an unusually large number of such sequestrate taxa is the humid rainforests of Sri Lanka. In this paper, we describe two new sequestrate species of Russula subg. Russula from Sri Lanka, Russula botrytigustata sp. nov . and Russula ciceriformis sp. nov ., based on molecular phylogenetic analyses and extensive morphological descriptions. A key to all sequestrate Russulaceae known from South and Southeast Asia, including these newly described taxa, is provided. Lastly, the possible adaptive advantages that may explain the high abundance of sequestrate fungi in these rainforests are discussed.

Citations

• ITS primers with enhanced specificity for basidiomycetes ‐ application to the identification of mycorrhizae and rusts
• MrBayes 3.2: Efficient Bayesian Phylogenetic Inference and Model Choice Across a Large Model Space
• MAFFT Multiple Sequence Alignment Software Version 7: Improvements in Performance and Usability
• Posterior Summarization in Bayesian Phylogenetics Using Tracer 1.7
• Large-scale genome sequencing of mycorrhizal fungi provides insights into the early evolution of symbiotic traits
• Evidence for adaptation of colourful truffle-like fungi for birds in Aotearoa-New Zealand
• Just the tip of the iceberg: uncovering a hyperdiverse clade of African Russula (Basidiomycota, Russulales, Russulaceae) species with signs of evolutionary habitat adaptations
• Selection of Conserved Blocks from Multiple Alignments for Their Use in Phylogenetic Analysis

Discussions

• 🍄‍🟫 Tropical rainforests in Sri Lanka have revealed two brand-new species of sequestrate mushrooms that grow their spores inside enclosed bodies: Russula botrytigustata and Russula ciceriformis. � [bsky, 1 points, 0 comments]

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