Cantharellus diversity in mixed oak forests of Virginia, with a new species, Cantharellus sabuletorum

Chanterelles (genus Cantharellus) are ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with a broad host range of trees. We explored Cantharellus diversity in mixed oak forests across 12 counties in Virginia and constructed a multilocus phylogeny including large ribosomal subunit (28S), transcription elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1), and RNA polymerase II (rpb2) sequences from all known temperate species of Cantharellus. Habitat and morphological attributes, including spore size, shape, and color, were compared with described species. In total, 104 sequences from 31 specimen vouchers were generated and 11 taxa identified, including one new species, C. sabuletorum from sandy Quercus-Pinus forests of Chesapeake Bay and north-central Florida. This study also provides evidence of genetic and color variation within C. cinnabarinus and expands the known distribution of C. altipes, C. appalachiensis, C. flavolateritius, C. lateritius, C. lewisii, C. minor, C. tenuithrix complex, C. vicinus, and C. velutinus in the eastern United States.