Studies on Diversity of Basidiomycetes of District Shangla

Abstract

In the present research the diversity of Basidiomycetes of District Shangla, KP, Pakistan has been explored. District Shangla is an administrative unit of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, located at 34, 31 to 33°, 08° north latitudes and 72, 33 to 73°, 01° east longitudes, with a total area of 1,586 square kilometers. The mountains of Shangla district are the western extremities of the Great Himalayan range with an average elevation of 1600 to 3,500 meters above the sea level. Sampling sites were visited during moonsoon, dry months and spring seasons of 2013–2015, Mushrooms, rust and smut fungi were collected at different stages. Macro-morphological describtion of the specimens were observed in the field, photographed and tagged. Rusts and smut fungi were collected along with the host plants. The infected parts of the plant were photographed, tagged and preserved. More than 300 specimens of Basidiomycota were collected, comprising of 76 taxa in 26 genera and 19 families. The results are comprised of three parts. Agaricomycotina, Puccinomycotina and Ustilaginomycotina. Among them, Agaricomycotina are represented by 36 species in 14 genera and 11 families. The genus Amanita was recorded the most frequent and largest genus with 15 species, followed by Agaricus and Russula with 06 and 03 species respectively. Pucciniomycotina, the pathogenic fungi represented by 31 species in 09 genera and 06 families. The genus Puccinia was found the largest one with 15 species followed by Phragmidium with 05 species respectively. The smut fungi, Ustilaginomycotina, represented by 10 species in 3 genera and 2 families. As a whole 31 species were proposed new for science viz., Agaricus swaticus nom. prov., A. subdecidous nom. prov., A. subpinus nom. prov., A. propeaugustus nom. prov., A. umbosplitifacus nom. prov., Amanita subflavipes nom. prov., A. obscuriscens nom. prov., A. cinis nom. prov., A. albosa nom. prov., A. nigrofibrilosa nom. prov., A. zona nom. prov., A. pseudolignitincta nom. prov., A. yukhtangiensis nom. prov., A. olivaviginata nom. prov., Veloporphyrellus similis nom. prov., Hortiboletus cumpinus. nom. prov., Cortinarius pseudohinnuleus xv

nom. prov., C. umbostriatus nom. prov., Gymnopilus Pseudohybridus nom. prov., Neolentinus pellismarginatus nom. prov., Panus pakistanicus nom. prov., Phallus pseudorubicundus nom. prov., Russula shanglaensis nom. prov., R. submariae nom. prov., R. mansehrensis nom. prov., Melampsora Yukhtangensis nom. prov., Puccinia Pimpinella-aegopodiea nom. prov., Ustilago glomeratii nom. prov., U. sanguinalii nom. prov. Two species published as new to science viz., Amanita glarea and Parasola pseudolactea, 02 species were reported as new combinations viz., Allodus tulipii nom. prov., Sphacelotheca nepalense nom. prov. 10 species were reported as new records for the country viz., Amanita pseudovaginata, Amanita Pallidorosea, Strobilomyces longistipitatus, Phragmidium mexicanum, Pileolaria pistaciae, Puccinia Obscura, Haplotelium ambiens, Sporisorium pulverulentum, Ustilago nunavutica and Urocystis narcissi and 33 species were first time reported from Shangla district. These fungi were characterized morpho-anatomically and phylogenetically. For Moleculer characterization ITS and LSU regions were amplified and sequenced using Primers ITS1F, ITS2, ITS3, ITS4, LROR, LR5 and LR6. Our findings advocate that Shangla region is very rich and show a great diversity of Agaricomycotina followed by Puccinomycotina and Ustilaginomycotina. Among the Sub-phylum Agaricomycotina the genus Amanita was recorded the most frequent and largest genus with 15 species, followed by Agaricus and Russula with 06 and 03 species respectively. In subphylum Pucciniomycotina, the genus Puccinia was recorded as the largest genus with 15 species followed by Phragmidium with 05 species. In Subphylum Ustilaginomycotina, the genus Ustilago was found more diverse with 05 species followed by Sporisorium and Urocystis with 04 and 01 species respectively. This study concluded that very least work on fungi of North Western Pakistan have been done. Furthermore, District Shangla which is a moist temperate region and covered by 90% of coniferous forest have enormous potential for fungal diversity. The area needs to be explored further for very valuable species of other groups also. These findings upgraded the existing number of Basidiomycetes from 1500 to 1545 species in Pakistan.