Phylogenetic relationships in the genus Helvella were investigated using both LSU rDNA sequences and morphological features. The latter were coded and included in the analyses, resulting in better-supported clades. Helvella is monophyletic and Wynnella is its sister genus. Aporhynchous vs. pleurorhynchous asci are the synapomorphies for the 2 subgenera, Leucomelaenae and Helvella, which were confirmed as natural groups. Other recovered supported clades were section Leucomelaenae in the subgenus Leucomelaenae, and sections Elasticae, Helvella, and Lacunosae within the subgenus Helvella. Generic description, comments on taxonomically informative features, species complexes, and species that need typification are presented.

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Mexico is the center of diversity of the husk tomato (Physalis L., Solanaceae), which includes a number of commercially important edible and ornamental species. Taxonomic identification is presently based on morphological characteristics, but the presence of high inter-and intraspecific morphological variation makes this task difficult. Six ISSR primers were used on eight Mexican species of Physalis to determine their utility for interspecific taxonomic discrimination and to assess their potential for inferring interspecific relationships. The six ISSR primers amplified 101 bands, with 100% polymorphism across samples. The number of bands per primer varied from 10 to 21. All primers produced different fingerprint profiles for each species, confirming the ISSR value in taxonomic discrimination. Discrimination values based on Simpson's diversity index varied from 0.48 to 0.58. Genetic interspecific similarity values ranged from 0.20 to 0.57, and intraspecific similarity values were highest for Physalis angulata (0.71), followed by Physalis philadelphica (0.63) and Physalis lagascae (0.55). The UPGMA analysis grouped accessions of the same species together and clustered together Physalis species of similar morphological traits. Thus, ISSR markers are useful in estimating genetic relationships in Physalis.

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Background: Knowledge on Mexican Solanaceae is uneven. Several areas are well collected and have been floristically treated in recent times, but others have been neglected and are poorly represented in herbaria. Question: Which species of Solanaceae grow in Mexico and which is their state distribution. Study site: Mexico from 2009 to 2011. Methods: We reviewed family literature as well as Mexican and North American herbaria. We analyzed species distribution for each state, and endemism for the country and MegaMexico. Results: We found three subfamilies (Cestroideae Juanulloideae and Solanoideae), 34 genera, 381 species, and 18 varieties. We include state distributions and endemism for the country, as well as for MegaMexico 1, in which the natural limits of the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Tamaulipean deserts are included, and MegaMexico 2 which includes Central America up to northern Nicaragua. There are no endemic genera to Mexico, but Nectouxia, Datura and Chamaesaracha are endemic to MegaMexico 1, and Plowmania, Tzeltalia, Capsicophysalis and Schraderanthus are endemic to MegaMexico2. Three genera, Brugmansia, Petunia and Nicandra are introduced and have naturalized species. Solanum has the highest number of species (130) (Sierra-Muñoz et al. 2015). The rest of the country either lacks floristic works, or the inventories are old or incomplete.Uneven knowledge of the Solanaceae in the country, as well as the lack of a sound nomenclature hinders richness and endemism analyses, thus complicating conservation policies.The aims of our work were to provide a current Solanaceae list for Mexico, under Hunziker's (2001) classification system and to offer species distribution data. Materials and methodsWe reviewed family literature including monographs, floristic lists, floras, species original descriptions, thesis, typification literature, nomenclatural synopsis, and phylogenies. The complete list of references is available from Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO), or from the authors. With that information and our experience, we validated the correct name for the species and formed the Solanaceae list. We visited MEXU, XAL, MO, IBUG, IEB, SD and QMEX (acronyms according to Thiers, continuously updated) to review the specimens and obtain their distribution. The list up to 2011 including synonyms is available at (consulted in feb 2017).Species distribution information at the state level was completed with recent floristic lists. Lists prior to 2000 were not used because of nomenclatural problems. Subfamily and genera circumscriptions are according to Hunziker (2001). We do not include subgenera or sections here, but the complete nomenclature data base is available from CONABIO. For discrepancies among different classification systems we followed Hunziker (2001 ResultsThe list we present (Table 1), has the species described so far excluding synonyms. We found three subfamilies of Solanaceae that group 34...

The tribe Tigridieae (Iridoideae: Iridaceae) is a New World group with centres of diversity in Mexico and Andean South America. North America harbours 67 of the 172 species recognised within the tribe, 54 being endemic. Our aims were to identify areas of endemism of the North American Tigridieae using endemicity analysis (EA) and to infer their relationships using parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE). A data matrix with 2769 geographical records of Tigridieae was analysed. The EA allowed to identify six consensus areas of endemism in Mexico. The PAE resulted in one cladogram with four clades and the following five biotic components: northern Mexico, western Mexico, central Mexico, southern Mexico and central–southern Mexico. The richness analysis of these areas of endemism indicated that the greatest concentration of species is located in central Mexico, with 14 species in one grid-cell. Grid-cells with 12 species each were identified in low western Mexico, high western Mexico, southern Mexico and central–southern Mexico. This last area is characterised by the greatest endemism, including nine species. The formation of the Transmexican Volcanic Belt seems to have been a key element to explain the diversification of North American Tigridieae.

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The new species Gymnopilus maritimus is described from coastal plant communities of Juncus maritimus, growing on sandy soil or on decaying plants, from northwestern Sardinia (Italy). The distinguishing features of G. maritimus are: (1) an unusual habitat, (2) robust basidiomata, (3) mild taste, and (4) big and strongly warted spores. The new species is compared with the micromorphologically similar species G. fulgens sensu auct. Brit. p.p. and the biogeographically and ecologically similar species G.arenophilus, as well as with other European species. A photograph of fresh material, drawings of the main micromorphological features, and FESEM and optical microscope microphotographs of basidiospores are added. Furthermore, some notes on micromorphological characters of G. arenophilus are presented and its distribution area enlarged with a record from France. A key for the European species of Gymnopilus morphologically, ecologically, and/or biogeographically related to G. maritimus is presented. The phylogeny inferred from ITS rDNA sequences revealed that G. maritimus represents an independent species and that it is not related to G. arenophilus or G. fulgens. It is the sister group of the clade containing G. imperialis and G. spectabilis, but with a bootstrap support below 50%. The characters shared by the species in this clade are: (1) robust basidiomata, (2) pileus fibrillose or scaly-fibrillose, and (3) spores longer than 8 µm, dextrinoid and strongly warted. Gymnopilus imperialis and G. spectabilis differ by the basidiomata with membranous ring in the stem, living on conifers or decaying wood, and having narrower or wider spores, respectively.