Morphological and molecular identification of Dissingia confusa based on the first record of the species in Türkiye

Abstract

In the present study, specimens kept in Fungarium of Van Yüzüncü Yıl University - Türkiye (VANF) were evaluated based on morphological and molecular characters, and identified as Dissingia confusa as a new record from Eastern Türkiye. Ascocarp, hymenium, stipe, asco-spores, ascus and paraphyses were considered as diagnostic morphological characters and the nucleotide sequences of the large subunit (LSU) ribosomal DNA and the translation elonga-tion factor 1-alpha (TEF1-α) were referred as molecular data. A phylogenetic analysis was performed with Maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference methods. The DNA sequences of 15 (7 for TEF1-α) Dissingia and 27 (14 for TEF1-α) Helvella specimens downloaded from the GenBank database were included in the analysis to estimate phylogeny between the two close genera. Morphological evaluations and genetic evidences confirmed that Dissingia is phylogenetically separated from Helvella at genus level and helped to identify the studied specimens as D. confusa as a new record in Türkiye. Detailed description, colour images of fresh and dried ascomata, along with photographs of microscopic characters and the obtained phylogenetic trees are given.