Ecological aspects of epigeous gasteromycetes (Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota) in four remnants of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

• We collected ecological information of gasteroid fungi during thirty-six field expeditions.
• We explored the gasteroid mycota of a poorly known environment: the northeastern forest enclaves.
• Diversity of gasteroid fungi is different between lowland and highland forests.
• We showed that there is no statistical difference between monthly and bimonthly collections.

Species composition and richness of epigeous gasteromycetes were investigated in four remnants of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest in northeastern Brazil. Two of these areas are coastal, lowland forests, while the other two, also known as ‘brejos de altitude’, are inland, highland forests. Thirty-six field expeditions were carried out from Jun. 2008 to May 2009 in a 500 m × 20 m transect in each surveyed area. Collected specimens consisted of 16 gasteroid species of the genera Clathrus (one sp.), Cyathus (four spp.), Geastrum (nine spp.), Morganella (one sp.) and Phallus (one sp.). Analysis of Similarity (ANOSIM) showed that species richness and composition of gasteroid fungi are different between lowland and highland forests. There was no significant difference between collecting seasons (dry and rainy months) in the four localities.