New Molecular Data in the Truffle-like Fungus, Aroramyces herrerae, Reveal a Novel Cryptic Ancestral Taxon, Pterosporomyces herrerae gen. nov. & comb. nov. (Trappeacea, Phallales)
Recently, Aroramyces herrerae was described based on morphology, ecology, and taxonomically placed in the family Hysterangiaceae (Hysterangiales). However, a DNA analysis revealed that A. herrerae belongs to a new sequestrate cryptic genus, Pterosporomyces, in the family Trappeaceae (Phallales), nested with Restingomyces reticulatus and Phalobata alba and jointly forming a basal clade of Phallales with strong statistical support. Pterosporomyces herrerae gen. nov & comb. nov. is characterized by an olive green to brown gleba and wing spores (utriculum) up to 6 μm broad and its ITS and ATP6 variation. Pterosporomyces is similar in morphology to Restingomyces but differs by the spore ornamentation been utriculate in the former and alveolate in the latter. A taxonomic amendment is presented for the family Trappeaceae to include the new genus and recombine Aroramyces herrerae into Pterosporomyces herrerae gen. nov. & comb. nov. and a redescription with new morphological, rDNA, and mtDNA data with illustrations are provided.