A NEW SPECIES OF PLEUROTUS

A new species, Pleurotus abieticola, was collected in far eastern Russ ia. We show that Pleurotus abieticola is reproductively isolated from other Pleurotus species. Comparisons of ribosomal ITS DNA-sequence dat a grouped P. abieticola with monomitic pleurotoid species of the genus , while cluster analysis (Neighbor Joining) and parsimony analysis ind icated that P. abieticola was distinct from extant species. The combin ation of differences in morphology, reproductive isolation, substrate preference and DNA sequence justifies the proposal of a new species.