True truffle diversity in Iran

Abstract

Inside commercial batches of T. aestivum imported from Iran to Italy the ascomata of six Tuber spp. (Tuber borchii, Tuber brumale, Tuber macrosporum, Tuber rufum f. lucidum, Tuber excavatum and Tuber fulgens) were found and described. Sixteen specimens were analyzed; most of them were completely immature probably because truffles in Iran are harvested by digging all the soil forest without using trained dogs. The morphology of the Iranian ascomata and their spore dimensions are similar to those of the European ascomata and phylogenetic analyses based on their ITS sequences placed them inside the European clades of Tuber. In Iran, truffles are found in the northern part of the country with the highest production in the Hyrcanian region (between Guilan and Golestan provinces). To date, Iran seems to be the most Eastern location where European species of Tuber are found.