A new Rhizopogon species associated with Pinus amamiana in Japan

Publication date: Available online 21 November 2017 Source:Mycoscience Author(s): Yoriko Sugiyama, Masao Murata, Kazuhide Nara Pinus amamiana is an endangered Pinus species found only on Yakushima Island and Tanegashima Island, Japan. We surveyed remaining P. amamiana forests and found some sporocarps of Rhizopogon (Boletales), many species of which exhibit strict host specificity to a narrow range of Pinaceae trees and play critical roles in host establishment. Based on morphological characteristics and molecular phylogeny, here we describe Rhizopogon yakushimensis sp. nov. This new species belongs to a new clade, phylogenetically related to the subgenera Versicolores and Rhizopogon. We also confirmed its ectomycorrhizal association with P. amamiana by comparing rDNA ITS sequences between the sporocarps and ectomycorrhizal root tips.

Source: Mycoscience - November 27, 2017 Category: Biology Source Type: research