Abstract

A new arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal species, Diversispora valentina, is described and illustrated. In the field, this species is associated with marine dunes located along the Mediterranean coast in eastern Spain. Spores of D. valentina occurred in sporocarps, in clusters, and singly in the soil or inside the roots of Ammophila arenaria (Poaceae), Elymus farctus (Poaceae), Otanthus maritimus (Asteraceae), and Echinophora spinosa (Apiaceae) in the six locations studied. A single-species culture of D. valentina was obtained using Trifolium repens as a host plant. The small subunit internal transcribed spacer and large subunit (SSU-ITS1-5.8S-ITS2-LSU) nrDNA sequences place the new species in the genus Diversispora and suggest that it differs from any previously described species. The novelty of this species is supported by morphological, molecular, and phylogenetic analyses.