Contribution to the study of the genus Auricularia (Auriculariales, Basidiomycota) in Russia

Abstract

The paper covers the study of the genus Auricularia in Russia. The taxonomic history of the genus and problems of its morphological systematics are described in details. The evolutionary relationships of species and species complexes were revealed based on a comparative study of the nucleotide sequences of nrDNA (ITS, rpb2). The occurrence of A. auricula-judae only in European of Russia part was confirmed by molecular data, whereas the morphologically similar species A. americana had the Far Eastern distribution in Russia. In total, 7 taxa of Auricularia have so far been recorded from Russia: known species A. mesenterica, A. minor, A. cornea, A. americana, A. auricula-judae, newly described species — A. villosula and undescribed Auricularia sp. An identification key to the studied Auriculariaspecies and its morphological descriptions are also provided.