Geastrum britannicum

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.

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)

Taxonomy

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 Geastrum 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

The fungus has proved to be surprisingly widespread in England and Wales.[4] It has also recently been found in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.[5] Since the species is not known to have occurred in Europe before 1994, it has been suggested that it may be a recent arrival that originated elsewhere.[4][5]

References
  1. Holden L. "English names for fungi". British Mycological Society. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
  2. 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. 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. Dvořák D (2022). "Geastrum britannicum – a new species of the Czech mycobiota". Mykologické Listy (151): 29‒34.
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