A First Ascomycete Genus (Picoa sp.) Record for the Fungi Flora of Iran

In this research, according to macroscopic and microscopic characteristics Picoa sp. a member of Ascomycete was recorded for the first time from Iran.

INTRODUCTION

Desert truffles (Fig. 1a) are mycorrhizal hypogeous fungi, among which several species of the genera The appearance of desert truffle Picoa sp. (A).

Fig. 1:

The morphology of Picoa sp. (B). Every ascus has 8 ascospores and ascus membrane disappeared after maturation. The ascus is about 90-100 μm and ascospores is about 30 μm (C) Picoa, Tuber, Tirmania and Terfezia are included. A specimen of macrofungi collected in desert of Tarom region in Zanjan province of Iran during 2006. The Tarom region is close to the cities of Foman and Manjil in the north-west of Iran to the north of Zanjan and between Gilan and Zanjan provinces. It is a particularly productive region and therefore it was chosen as the main study area.

The description of taxa: A brownish species of Iranian desert truffles grows solitary or assembled of 2-5 ascocarps in the surface soil, is about the size of a Hazel fruit and has white texture. This species forms 0.5-1 cm below the soil surface and is brownish inside. The truffles that had been collected from studied areas in Tarom region (Zanjan province) were investigated in laboratories. The microscopic examination showed that each ascus contains 8 ascospores. Measure the diameter of ascus is about 90-100 μm and ascospores is about 30 μm (Fig. 1C). According to macroscopic and microscopic characteristics and using literature on ascomycetous macrofungi (Breitenbach and Kranzlin, 1984; Ershad, 1995; Philips, 1981) this fungi was identified as Picoa sp. (Fig. 1B). This is first report from Iranian mycoflora (Ershad, 1995).