Studies on the geoglossoid fungi of Russia: the genus Leucoglossum

Leucoglossum is a small genus in the family Geoglossaceae which has long been understudied. The genus consists of two species resembling Trichoglossum due to the presence of setae, but differing in its ascospores that remain hyaline for long periods, becoming pale brown or brown only in maturity. Both Leucoglossum species are known from Eurasia, although collections are rare over the landmass. L. leucosporum is found in Europe, while L. durandii has been reported only from China. This study summarizes all current information on the genus Leucoglossum in Russia, combining a critical morphological revision involving type material of L. leucosporum with a phylogenetic reconstruction based on a combined data set of the internal transcribed spacer region of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrITS1-5.8S-ITS2) and the 28S nuclear ribosomal large subunit region (nrLSU). The comprehensive morphological study resulted in supplemented description of Leucoglossum and L. leucosporum. The results of the molecular study confirmed that Leucoglossum represents a separate monophyletic group related more to Geoglossum than to Trichoglossum.