Phylogenetic analyses of Japanese golden chanterelles and a new species description, Cantharellus anzutake sp. nov.

Abstract

The Japanese golden chanterelle commonly identified as Cantharellus cibarius was sampled in a broad range of forest vegetation. A total of 90 fresh and 11 herbarium specimens were examined microscopically, subjected to sequencing analysis of their nuclear ribosomal RNA (rDNA) and tef-1 genes, and their characteristics were compared with those of European C. cibarius. Based on morphological and ecological characteristics, basidioma samples from Japan were divided into four species. While specimens of Cantharellus sp. 4 from Hokkaido Island were included in the European C. cibarius clade phylogenetically, the other three species formed three unique clades. Among these, Cantharellus anzutake sp. nov. is sister to the clade of C. cibarius and was widely sampled from the northern limit of Honshu Island to the southern limit of Kumejima Island in Ryukyu Islands. Although C. anzutake was morphologically similar to C. cibarius, the two species were phylogenetically distinct. Other morphologically similar but genetically distinct chanterelle species from India exhibited macroscopic and microscopic differences compared with C. anzutake.