Pseudoxenochalara gen. nov. (Dermateaceae, Helotiales), with P. grumantiana sp. nov. from the Svalbard archipelago

Abstract

The family Dermateaceae belongs to the Helotiales order, the class Leotiomycetes, and consists of 14 genera. In this study, we introduce the new genus Pseudoxenochalara gen. nov. to the Dermateaceae family, which is supported by morphological observations and multilocus phylogenetic analysis. Partial sequences of the loci encoding β-tubulin (BenA), ribosomal polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2), 28S rDNA (LSU) and internal transcribed spacer rDNA region (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) were analysed. This genus comprises one new species, P. grumantiana, isolated from the soil of the Arctic tundra near the settlement of Barentsburg (the Svalbard archipelago). The asexual morph of P. grumantiana was described. The sequences data, as well as the macroand micromorphological characteristics distinguish P. grumantiana from all known species in the Dermateaceae family.

Keywords

• dermateaceae
• helotiales
• multi-gene phylogeny
• arctic tundra
• svalbard