Taxonomy and phylogeny of the Pleurotus djamor complex with descriptions of a new species from China

Abstract

The Pleurotus djamor complex is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions and is known for its more or less reddish pileus. Phylogenetic analyses of the P. djamor complex were carried out using multiple loci, including the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS), the translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene (tef1α), and the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (rpb2). In this study, a new species of Pleurotus, P. sinensis, is described based on morphological characters and molecular evidence. Pleurotus sinensis is characterized by a pileus that is white to pinkish buff or flesh-pink, flabelliform to petaloid, with inflexed and sometimes wavy margins. An illustrated description of the novel species is provided.