Phylogenetic analysis reveals the new genus Amoenoboletus from Asia and New Zealand

Abstract

The Asia-Pacific region is renowned to harbor nearly half of the global hot spots of biodiversity. Accordingly, many endemic species of boletes have already been recorded from this geographic region. However, the majority of the specific descriptions of reported boletoid species follow classical concepts of taxonomy, and by comparison only a few taxa have been corroborated by modern molecular techniques. In this study, we focused on specimens in a new clade uncovered by our previous studies. By careful reexamination of macroscopic and microscopic characters of Boletus granulopunctatus, originally described from Japan, and Xerocomus mcrobbii, originally described from New Zealand, we discovered a new genus and species Amoenoboletus miraculosus from Sabah, Malaysia. In addition, three new combinations in Amoenoboletus are proposed, and a dichotomous key to species in the genus is provided. The phylogenetically close relationship among Amoenoboletus species suggests a tight geographic correlation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Keywords: 5 new taxa; Boletaceae; Fagaceae; Nothofagaceae; systematics; taxonomy.