A new record of Astraeus hygrometricus (Pers.) Morgan (Boletales, Basidiomycota) from Afghanistan

Atiqullah Sultani Ahmadzai¹, Hamid Ejtehadi^{1, *}, Mohammad Farzam², Maral Bashirzadeh²

Affiliations
¹Quantitative Plant Ecology and Biodiversity Research Lab., Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran
²Department of Range and Watershed Management, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran

*Corresponding author, email: [email protected]

Abstract
The mycorrhizal fungus, Astraeus hygrometricus, which was found thriving beneath Quercus baloot and Cedrus deodara trees is being documented in Afghanistan for the first time. Despite previous reports confirming the presence of this fungus in other parts of Asia, Europe and America, there is no prior documentation of its presence in Afghanistan. This report includes a protologue of the specimens collected from Afghanistan, showcasing both macro- and micro-morphological characteristics. Additionally, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images are provided for a detailed view of the basidiospores.

Citation
Sultani Ahmadzai A, Ejtehadi H, Farzam M, Bashirzadeh M (2023) A new record of Astraeus hygrometricus (Pers.) Morgan (Boletales, Basidiomycota) from Afghanistan. MycoAsia 2023/02. https://doi.org/10.59265/ mycoasia.2023-02.

Submission History
Received: 24.03.2023
Accepted: 21.06.2023
Published: 02.07.2023

Editorial Team
Handling Editor: Prof. Samantha C. Karunarathna
Reviewers: Prof. Changlin Zhao, Dr. Arun Kumar Dutta