Morphology and Phylogeny of Lyophylloid Mushrooms in China with Description of Four New Species

The lyophylloid agarics are a group of ecologically highly diversified macrofungi, some of which are very popular edible mushrooms. However, we know little about lyophylloid species diversity in China. In this study, we described four new species from China: Lyophyllum atrofuscum, L. subalpinarum, L. subdecastes, and Ossicaulis sichuanensis. We conducted molecular phylogenetic analyses of Lyophyllaceae based on the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nLSU) and the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS). Phylogenetic analyses by the maximum likelihood method and Bayesian inference showed that the four new species are unique monophyletic species. A key to the species of Lyophyllum from China and a key to Ossicaulis worldwide were given.

Automated summary

In this study, four new species of lyophylloid agarics from China were described and their phylogenetic relationships were analyzed using molecular methods. The results confirmed that these new species are distinct from other lyophylloid species. This study also provided keys for identifying Lyophyllum species in China and Ossicaulis species worldwide.