A NEW-ZEALAND PLEUROTUS WITH MULTIPLE-SPECIES SEXUAL COMPATIBILITY

A collection of Pleurotus pulmonarius from New Zealand (NZP) showed co mpatibility with four putatively separate biological species of Pleuro tus (P. eryngii, P. ostreatus, P. populinus, P. pulmonarius) and with an undescribed member of the P. ostreatus complex (P. ''abieticola''). Pairings of monokaryotic strains of P. pulmonarius with those of NZP were universally sexually compatible and produced stable, profileratin g dikaryons. NZP compatibility with P. eryngii and P. populinus was pa rtial, with a mixture of incompatible pairings, matings producing ephe meral dikaryons, and matings producing stable, proliferating dikaryons . Monokaryon pairings of NZP and FI ostreatus were either incompatible or produced ephemeral, unstable, non-proliferating dikaryons. In all cases, nuclear donation/migration was unilaterally into NZP. The matin g system of NZP was tetrapolar although some features of the self-cros s were atypical of the genus. Mating promiscuity by NZP with previousl y biologically defined taxa raises issues concerning the nature of sep aration of North American taxa.