Phylogenetic studies in Psathyrella focusing on sections Pennatae and Spadiceae - new evidence for the paraphyly of the genus

The sections Pennatae and Spadiceae were chosen to test the agreement of current infrageneric classifications of Psathyrella (Psathyrellaceae, Agaricales) with molecular phylogenetic data and to evaluate the systematic significance of relevant morphological characters. The ITS and partial LSU regions of nu-rDNA from 53 specimens representing 34 species of Psathyrella were sequenced and analysed with parsimony-based and model-based phylogenetic methods. According to our analyses, the sections Pennatae and Spadiceae are polyphyletic and distributed across the family Psathyrellaceae, which is divided into at least five major groups. The first one comprises most of the included Psathyrella species and, probably, the whole genus Coprinellus. The second group is made up of Psathyrella gossypina and P. delineata. The third clade consists of the genus Coprinopsis and includes Psathyrella aff. huronensis and P. marcescibilis. The fourth clade is composed of two sister groups, the subgenus Homophron and the genus Lacrymaria, and the fifth group represents the genus Parasola including Psathyrella conopilus. These results are in agreement with neither the current circumscription of the two subgenera, Psathyra and Psathyrella, nor with the pre-sent disposition of the Psathyrellaceae. Taxonomically important morphological characters in the genus Psathyrella show a high degree of homoplasy. Although these characters are useful for species delimitation, and in some cases for the circumscription of sections, they appear insufficient for a phylogenetically correct generic concept.