Cyanoboletus mediterraneensis Biketova, A. Rinaldi & Simonini, sp. nov., 2022

Biketova, Alona Yu., Rinaldi, Andrea C. & Simonini, Giampaolo, 2022, Nomenclatural novelties: Alona Yu. Biketova, Andrea C. Rinaldi & Giampaolo Simonini, Index Fungorum 516, pp. 1-1 : 1

Cyanoboletus mediterraneensis Biketova, A. Rinaldi & Simonini, sp. nov.

IF 552946

Holotype K ( M) 265123

Pileus up to 8 cm diam., convex, tomentose, matt, dry, hazel-brown to buff-brown, becoming dark blue black when bruised. Cap margin slightly incurved. Stipe up to 9 cm long, up to 3.5 cm wide, cylindrical, tapered, sometimes rooting, lemon-yellow, without a network; stipe surface becoming intensely blue black after handling; basal mycelium white. Context initially lemon-yellow or greenish yellow, becoming intensely dark blue when exposed to air and then gradually fading to greenish. Tubes up to 12 mm long, adnate and slightly decurrent, initially lemon-yellow, then yellow olivaceous, turning blue green or blue black when bruised. Pores medium sized, angular or irregular, lemon-yellow; becoming dark blue when injured. Smell slightly acidulous. Taste mild, slightly acidulous. Spores 11–13 × 5–5·5 μm (distribution of average values from 4 collections, 182 spores), ellipsoidal, sometimes weakly fusiform, smooth, thick-walled, guttulate, light yellow brown. Caulocutis fertile. Pileipellis a trichoderm of intertwined septate hyphae, consisting in cylindrical, filamentose cells (3·5–) 5–6 (–7·5) μm broad, mostly widely and finely incrusted on the surface, and also with yellow-brown intracellular pigment. Crystals on the surface of hymenium are visible under SEM microscope.

Notes: Based on Boletus pulverulentus Opat. sensu Biketova et al. , New, noteworthy, and rare species of the genus Boletus in Israel. Plant Biosystems 150 (5): 883 (2016). A species with boletoid basidiomes, close to Cyanoboletus pulverulentus (Opat.) Gelardi, Vizzini & Simonini , the latter based on findings of north-east Europe (Opatowski, Wiegmann Archiv für Naturgeschichte 2 (1): 27. 1836), which is distinguished from C. mediterraneensis by the different genetic characteristics and the prevailing distribution, which also includes temperate and continental climates.

Specimens examined: Israel, Upper Galilee, Goren Park, on soil, associated with Quercus calliprinos , 1 Dec. 2012, Z. Shafranov and A.Yu. Biketova ( HAI B12-077 ), nrLSU sequence GenBank: OM801212 (Holotype); Samaria, Ramat Hanadiv Park , under Quercus calliprinos , 8 Nov. 2006, Y. Ur, K-M 000265124 ( HAI A-001 ), ITS sequence GenBank: OM801199 ; Upper Galilee , Goren Park , under Pistacia terebinthus in Quercus calliprinos forest, 5 Dec. 2015, Z. Shafranov, S. Shafranov and E. Shafranov, K-M 000265125 ( HAI B15-279 ); Italy: Sardinia, Gonnesa , in pure Halimium halimifolium shrubland, 26 Oct. 2015, A.C. Rinaldi and O. Comandini, Hal-BP-25, ITS sequence GenBank: MT594497 .