Diversity of the genus Ramaria in the Patagonian Andes Forests of Argentina

Abstract Within the wide diversity of fungal species of the Patagonian Andes forests, species of the genus Ramaria are some of the most attractive. Its macro and micro-morphological characters are so diverse that the species cannot be readily separated based on morphological characters alone. In Patagonia (Argentina and Chile) Ramaria has been reported associated with Nothofagaceae; however, their diversity and phylogenetic relationships are largely unknown. Currently, 18 species are reported for the region. In this study, a detailed account of Ramaria in Patagonia is presented based on an integrative analysis of phylogenetic, macro- and micro-morphological features. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and nuclear 28S rDNA (LSU) genes were analyzed to identify specimens from Argentina and to examine their phylogenetic relationships with other Ramaria species. The phylogenetic tree revealed that the sequences represent six Ramaria species found in Argentinian Patagonia: R. patagonica, R. botrytis, R. inedulis, R. stricta, and two new phylogenetic groups characterized as new species: R. flavinedulis and R. dendrophora. Ramaria flavinedulis produces brightly colored yellow or yellow-orange basidioma with a fused, twisted compound stipe, basidia not clamped, and basidiospores ellipsoid to cylindrical. Ramaria dendrophora exhibits pale yellow to pale rose basidioma, basidiospores ornamented with conspicuous and irregular warts. This study increased our knowledge of the phylogenetic diversity and taxonomy in Ramaria from the Patagonian Andes Forests compared with those found elsewhere.