Citizen science facilitates phylogenetic placement of old species of non-lichenised Pezizomycotina based on newly collected material
Abstract
During the informal Spring Micromyco 2019 meeting, we tested how newly obtained molecular barcodes of common or poorly known saprotrophic microfungi from more or less targeted collections may be useful for identification and taxonomic studies. Our aim was to obtain DNA sequences of fungi enabling their phylogenetic placement and routine identification in the future using molecular barcoding.
As a result, DNA of four species was sequenced for the first time, among them Leptosphaeria acuta, for which a new synonym L. urticae is proposed. The new combination Koorchaloma melaloma is proposed for a species previously known as Volutella melaloma and its new synonym is K. europaea.
This species is accommodated in the Stachybotryaceae. A detailed phenotypic description and phylogenetic placement are provided for Mytilinidion insulare, a resurrected species hitherto considered a later synonym of M. gemmigenum.
Chalara insignis was placed in the Helotiales without any clear relationship to other members of this order. For another two helotialean species, a second referencing sequence was obtained.
Our study showed that for some microfungi, due to the fundamental lack of molecular data, even a single molecular barcode may provide novel and important information on their phylogenetic and taxonomic placement. The results also illustrate that scientific progress can be made through collaboration between academic and amateur mycologists.