Abstract
The genus of basidiomycetous fungi Cortinarius occurs worldwide, from subtropical to boreal latitudes. Although molecular systematics has triggered the study of these fungi in the Americas and Europe in the last two decades, there is still limited research on its diversity in large portions of the planet, such as the high mountain ranges of Asia. Several collections of Cortinarius were made during mycological field trips conducted between 2014 and 2018 in pure oak forests in the Pakistan Himalayas. An integrative framework combining morphological and phylogenetic data was employed for their study. As a result, the two species C. pakistanicus and C. pseudotorvus are here described as new to science. Detailed macro- and micro-morphological descriptions, including SEM images of spores, and a molecular phylogenetic reconstruction based on nrITS sequence data are provided and used to discriminate the new species from morphologically and phylogenetically close taxa. Whereas our phylogenetic tree inference gave unequivocal support for the inclusion of C. pseudotorvus within C. sect. Telamonia, the assignment of C. pakistanicus to any known sections remained elusive. These species likely establish ectomycorrhizal associations with trees in the genus Quercus, making this type of forest in the Pakistan Himalayas a promising focus for future research on the diversity of Cortinarius.
Highlights
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray (Cortinariaceae) is a relatively well known mushroom-forming genus of basidiomycetous fungi characterized by the fugacious veil forming a fine cobweb (“cortina”) between the stipe and pileus margin and by the production of ornamented, cinnamon brown to fulvous basidiospores (Kirk et al 2008; Niskanen 2008)
Cortinarius pakistanicus and C. pseudotorvus are described as new to science based on an integrative taxonomic approach
The brownish color with occasional lilaceous tinges displayed by basidiomata of these species, which are both of rather small size, suggested their inclusion within the complicated C. subgenus Telamonia s. lat
Summary
Cortinarius (Pers.) Gray (Cortinariaceae) is a relatively well known mushroom-forming genus of basidiomycetous fungi characterized by the fugacious veil forming a fine cobweb (“cortina”) between the stipe and pileus margin and by the production of ornamented, cinnamon brown to fulvous basidiospores (Kirk et al 2008; Niskanen 2008). It is one of the most species rich, abundant and widespread ectomycorrhizal genera in Agaricales (Geml et al 2012; Nouhra et al 2013; Nuske et al 2019), encompassing ca. We know virtually nothing about the species of Cortinarius growing in forests in the high mountain ranges north of Pakistan, which belong to the Himalayas
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