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Geastrum britannicum

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Geastrum britannicum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Geastrales
Family: Geastraceae
Genus: Geastrum
Species:
G. britannicum
Binomial name
Geastrum britannicum
J.C. Zamora (2015)

Geastrum britannicum is a fungal species in the family Geastraceae. Its recommended English name is vaulted earthstar.[1] Like other earthstars, the basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are initially globose. Their thick outer skin splits open at maturity to expose the puffball-like spore sac surrounded by the split rays of the outer skin. In the vaulted earthstar, the rays split apart and form an arch, raising the spore sac upwards.

Taxonomy

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Geastrum britannicum was described in 2015 from England by Spanish mycologist Juan Carlos Zamora,[2] based on a holotype found on a roadside verge in Cockley Cley under pine trees in 2000 by Jonathan Revett,[3] with paratypes from New Milton and Surlingham.[2] The species was already the subject of research at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where more than a dozen additional collections had been studied from England and Wales, the earliest dating back to 1994.[4] The new species had previously been confused with G. quadrifidum and G. fornicatum, both of which have a similar vaulted or arched appearance.[4] Geastrum britannicum was distinguished on the basis of morphology and DNA sequence analysis.[2][4]

Distribution

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The fungus has proved to be very widespread in England and Wales.[4] It was more recently found in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.[5] Since the species is not known to have occurred in Europe before 1994, it may be a recent arrival.[4][5]

References

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  1. ^ Holden L. "English names for fungi". British Mycological Society. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
  2. ^ a b c J.C. Zamora; F.D. Calonge; M.P. Martín (2015). "Integrative taxonomy reveals an unexpected diversity in Geastrum section Geastrum (Geastrales, Basidiomycota)". Persoonia. 34: 130–165. doi:10.3767/003158515X687443. PMC 4510276. PMID 26240450.
  3. ^ Dan Hyde (29 March 2015). "New mushroom species found in Norfolk (don't eat it)". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e Spooner B, Henrici A, Ainsworth AM (2015). "Geastrum britannicum - a surprisingly common new species in Britain". Field Mycology. 16 (2): 54–57. doi:10.1016/j.fldmyc.2015.04.007.
  5. ^ a b Dvořák D (2022). "Geastrum britannicum – a new species of the Czech mycobiota". Mykologické Listy (151): 29‒34.