title: Molecular and morphological analyses confirm Rhizopogon verii as a widely distributed ectomycorrhizal false truffle in Europe, and its presence in South America.
abstract: The genus Rhizopogon includes species with hypogeous or subepigeus habit, forming ectomycorrhizae with naturally occurring or planted pines (Pinaceae). Species of the genus Rhizopogon can be distinguished easily from the other hypogeous basidiomycetes by their lacunose gleba without columella and their smooth elliptical spores; however, the limit between species is not always easy to establish. Rhizopogon luteolus, the type species of the genus, has been considered one of the species that are more abundant in Europe, as well as it has been cited in pine plantation of North and South America, different parts of Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. However, in this study, based on molecular analyses of the ITS nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) sequences (19 new sequences; 37 sequences from GenBank/UNITE, including those from type specimens), we prove that many GenBank sequences under R. luteolus were misidentified and correspond to Rhizopogon verii, a species described from Tunisia. Also, we confirm that basidiomes and ectomycorrhizae recently collected in Germany under Pinus sylvestris, as well as specimens from South of Brazil under Pinus taeda belong to R. verii. Thanks to the numerous ectomycorrhizal tips collected in Germany, a complete description of R. verii/P. sylvestris ectomycorrhiza is provided. Moreover, since in this paper the presence of R. verii in South America is here reported for the first time, a short description of basidiomes collected in Brazil, compared with collections located in different European herbaria, is included.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Micologia/CCB, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av. Prof. Nelson Chaves, s/n, CEP: 50670-901, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sulzbacher
authors.affiliation: Slovenian Forestry Institute Večna pot 2, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Tine
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grebenc
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Toronto, 3359 Mississagua Road, Mississagua, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada.
authors.forename: Miguel Á
authors.initials: MÁ
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Botânica e Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Campus Universitário, Lagoa Nova, CEP: 59072-970, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bianca D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Solos, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, CCR, Campus Universitário, 971050-900, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Andressa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Solos, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, CCR, Campus Universitário, 971050-900, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Zaida I
authors.initials: ZI
authors.lastname: Antoniolli
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Celular e Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Campus Universitário, Lagoa Nova, CEP: 59072-970, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marinho
authors.affiliation: Institute for Landscape Biogeochemistry, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Eberswalder Straße 84, 15374, Müncheberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Babette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Münzenberger
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Micología, Real Jardín Botánico, RJB-CSIC, Plaza Murillo 2, Madrid, 28014, Spain.
authors.forename: M Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Telleria
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Botânica e Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Campus Universitário, Lagoa Nova, CEP: 59072-970, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Iuri G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Baseia
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Micología, Real Jardín Botánico, RJB-CSIC, Plaza Murillo 2, Madrid, 28014, Spain. maripaz@rjb.csic.es.
authors.forename: María P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Martín
mesh_terms: D001487:Basidiomycota / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D005060:Europe; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D028223:Pinus / Q000382:microbiology; D013020:South America
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer
keywords: Boletales; Ectomycorrhiza; Hypogeous fungi; Internal transcribed spacer; Phylogeny; Pinus sylvestris; Pinus taeda; nrDNA