''Pseudoverpa'' is a newly erected genus of post-fire

ascomycete Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The def ...

fungi in the family

Discinaceae The Discinaceae are a family of ascomycete fungi, the best known members of which are the false morels of the genus ''Gyromitra''. Originally erected by Erich Heinz Benedix in 1961, it was found to be a discrete clade in a molecular study of rib ...

. It is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

, being represented by the single species ''Pseudoverpa anthracobia'' which was described as new to science in 2018 from recently burned forests on the island of

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

. This fungus can resemble a ''

Verpa ''Verpa'' is a genus of ascomycete fungi related to the morels. Resembling the latter genus in edibility and form, the common name early morels is popular. There are five species in the widespread genus. Taxonomy Analysis of the ribosomal DNA o ...

'' species in the field because of its smooth, hollow and distinctly elongated stipe, which is attached to the pileus only at the apex. Its cerebriform (brain-like) pileus, brown-pigmented

paraphyses Paraphyses are erect sterile filament-like support structures occurring among the reproductive apparatuses of fungi, ferns, bryophytes and some thallophytes. The singular form of the word is paraphysis. In certain fungi, they are part of the f ...

and biguttulate cyanophilic

spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plant ...

, are all typical gyromitroid features, however. Because of its carbonicolous ecology and isolated phylogenetic position within the genus ''Gyromitra'', ''G. anthracobia'' was transferred to the new

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Pseudoverpa'' in 2023.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q55622549 Fungi described in 2018 Discinaceae Fungi of Europe Fungus species