Two new species of Inocybe from Mediterranean Cistaceae heathlands.

This study explored a heathland region in Portugal, and through morphology, biogeography, and multilocus phylogeny, two new species of Inocybaceae are described. The first species, Inocybe iberilepora, belongs to "I. flocculosa group," whereas the second species, Inocybe phaeosquamosa, belongs to a relatively isolated and understudied clade, distantly related to I. furfurea and allies. Both species are tied to a west Mediterranean distribution and ecology, associating with the local Cistaceae ecosystems. By characterizing these new species, our research contributes to the understanding of European Funga and enriches the knowledge of the genus Inocybe on a global scale.

Re-Valuation of the Taxonomic Status of Species within the Inocybe similis Complex.

The taxonomy of Inocybe similis and closely allied species is addressed using morphological and molecular data (nrITS and nrLSU DNA). The holotypes of I. chondrospora and I. vulpinella and the isotype of I. immigrans were studied and sequenced. Our results suggest the synonymy between I. similis and I. vulpinella as well as that between I. chondrospora and I. immigrans.

Mallocybe heimii ectomycorrhizae with Cistus creticus and Pinus halepensis in Mediterranean littoral sand dunes - assessment of phylogenetic relationships to M. arenaria and M. agardhii.

Ectomycorrhizal symbiosis appears extensively in the Northern Hemisphere, where Mediterranean ecosystems constitute an important ecological area of considerable biodiversity value. Littoral sand dunes are among high-risk habitats, and ectomycorrhizal lifestyle contributes significantly to supporting life in such regions. Mallocybe heimii (Bon) Matheny & Esteve-Rav. (Inocybaceae, Basidiomycota) and the very similar M. arenaria (Bon) Matheny & Esteve-Rav. grow in poor, usually sandy soils, in association with angiosperms or gymnosperms. Basidiomata originally identified under these names were collected from littoral sand dunes of Greece, and their morpho-anatomical characteristics were examined in conjunction with material derived from other European regions. Sequences from basidiomata and root tips corresponding to the nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) were obtained and analyzed. Phylogenetic results demonstrated that material identified as M. heimii or M. arenaria form a single well-supported group, while M. agardhii (N. Lund) Matheny & Esteve-Rav. is confirmed to be distinct from M. arenaria (the latter was initially described as a variety of the former, i.e., I. agardhii var. arenaria Bon). A detailed tree of the genus Mallocybe was generated on the basis of concatenated ITS and LSU sequences, and relationships of selected taxa are discussed in the light of morphological and sequence data. In addition, the first morphotype descriptions of M. heimii ectomycorrhizae with Cistus creticus L. and Pinus halepensis Miller are hereby provided. Both morphotypes exhibited the typical characteristics of Inocybe/Mallocybe ectomycorrhizae; however, differences were noted, the most significant being the presence of clamps on mantle hyphae and the type of anastomoses.

Considerations and consequences of allowing DNA sequence data as types of fungal taxa.

Nomenclatural type definitions are one of the most important concepts in biological nomenclature. Being physical objects that can be re-studied by other researchers, types permanently link taxonomy (an artificial agreement to classify biological diversity) with nomenclature (an artificial agreement to name biological diversity). Two proposals to amend the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN), allowing DNA sequences alone (of any region and extent) to serve as types of taxon names for voucherless fungi (mainly putative taxa from environmental DNA sequences), have been submitted to be voted on at the 11th International Mycological Congress (Puerto Rico, July 2018). We consider various genetic processes affecting the distribution of alleles among taxa and find that alleles may not consistently and uniquely represent the species within which they are contained. Should the proposals be accepted, the meaning of nomenclatural types would change in a fundamental way from physical objects as sources of data to the data themselves. Such changes are conducive to irreproducible science, the potential typification on artefactual data, and massive creation of names with low information content, ultimately causing nomenclatural instability and unnecessary work for future researchers that would stall future explorations of fungal diversity. We conclude that the acceptance of DNA sequences alone as types of names of taxa, under the terms used in the current proposals, is unnecessary and would not solve the problem of naming putative taxa known only from DNA sequences in a scientifically defensible way. As an alternative, we highlight the use of formulas for naming putative taxa (candidate taxa) that do not require any modification of the ICN.