In: Sydowia 76, (2024): 243-262; ISSN 0082-0598, DOI 10.12905/0380.sydowia76-2024-0243 Published online on August 5, 2024

Diversity and ecological evaluation of Chroogomphus species in Hungary

Balázs Palla*, Bálint Dima & Viktor Papp

1 Department of Botany, Institute of Agronomy, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Szent István Campus, Páter K. utca 1,
H-2100 Gödöllo, Hungary
2 Department of Plant Anatomy, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
3 Department of Botany, Institute of Agronomy, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences Növénytan Tanszék-Budai Campus, Villányi út 29–43, H-1118 Budapest, Hungary
* e-mail: palla.balazs@uni-mate.hu

Palla B., Dima B. & Papp V. (2024) Diversity and ecological evaluation of Chroogomphus species in Hungary. – Sydowia 76: 243–262.

As a result of recent extensive molecular investigations unravelling the European diversity of the genus Chroogomphus, the
regional species composition became an impending question to resolve. In Hungary, this genus has previously been examined only
based on morphological characteristics, from which data were known for the species Chroogomphus rutilus and Chroogomphus
helveticus. Therefore, in the present study, in addition to thorough morphological examinations, we also conducted molecular
genetic analyses. Our phylogenetic analyses based on the ITS region of Hungarian Chroogomphus collections verified the presence
of four Chroogomphus species from the country: C. rutilus, C. mediterraneus, C. helveticus and C. subfulmineus, from
mostly the naturalised range of their Pinus hosts. The ecological context of these occurrences in Hungarian Pinus plantations are
evaluated based on bioclimatic, edaphic and forestry data. As additional support for species delimitation and morphological
based identification, some novel morphological characters and the revision of former traits are also presented, in order to facilitate
further research on the regional species composition and ecological connections of European Chroogomphus species.

Keywords: Gomphidiaceae, Basidiomycota, molecular phylogeny, ecology, micromorphology.