The enigmatic Squamanita odorata ( Agaricales, Basidiomycota) is parasitic on Hebeloma mesophaeum

Abstract

Squamanita odorata is an agaric which is parasitic on unrecognizable, previously unidentifiable sporophores of a fungal host that is transformed into galls at the bases of the parasite's sporophore. Amplification and sequencing portions of the nuclear (ITS) and mt rDNA from three samplings originating from two sites (from France and from Switzerland) demonstrate that the galls produce sequences that are identical to that of co-occurring Hebeloma mesophaeum. This demonstrates that S. odorata is a biotrophic parasite on Hebeloma mesophaeum.