Phylogeny and Taxonomy of Hebeloma theobrominum and H. mesophaeum from Western Himalaya

Abstract

This study deals with the molecular systematics of Asian collections of Hebeloma theobrominum and H. mesophaeum which have not been previously reported from any Himalayan part of the world, and are new to Pakistan. Both were identified using morpho-anatomical and molecular characterization. The target rDNA of both species was amplified by using universal fungal primers. In phylogenetic analysis, both species distinctly clustered with their respective groups. These both species have been described first time from Asia using ITS-rDNA barcoding. The sequences of both species were compared with those of same European species from the GenBank. These species clustered with European species in phylogenetic tree proving their cosmopolitan distribution.