ITS rDNA variation of the Coprinopsis phlyctidospora (syn.: Coprinus phlyctidosporus) complex in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres

Abstract

Coprinopsis phlyctidospora (syn: Coprinus phlyctidosporus) from the Netherlands, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia can be segregated into two groups, northern and southern, based on the nucleotide sequences of their ITS regions. The mating type of a C. phlyctidospora isolate was tetrapolar. Mating reactions were compatible between monokaryotic testers derived from basidiospores of a Japanese isolate and dikaryotic isolates obtained from a wide geographic area in Japan. In contrast, mating between the Japanese monokaryotic and dikaryotic isolates from Australia and New Zealand were incompatible. These results indicated that C. phlyctidospora was complex and individuals currently recognized as C. phlyctidospora in the Northern Hemisphere and those in the Southern Hemisphere are distinct taxa. The relationship between the clades and the biogeography of the C. phlyctidospora complex are also discussed.