Morphological and molecular evidence support a new truffle, Tuber lannaense, from Thailand

Abstract

© 2016, German Mycological Society and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. A new truffle species, Tuber lannaense, is described based on collections from northern Thailand. This species is characterized by yellow-brown to brown ascomata with dark brown gleba and ellipsoid to narrow ellipsoid spores with spiny reticulum. It grows in mycorrhizal association with Betula alnoides and Carpinus poilanei. Tuber lannaense is similar to T. huidongense, but differs in the thinner outer peridium layer. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 + ITS2) and large subunit of nuclear ribosomal DNA, as well as genetic distance analysis of ITS1 + ITS2, support T. lannaense as being distinct from other Tuber species. Moreover, based on genetic distance analysis, we consider that T. furfuraceum and T. huidongense, which have previously been synonymized, are different species.