Colin Domnauer

The genus Lanmaoa is a globally distributed, economically important group of mushroom-forming fungi in the family Boletaceae containing edible and psychoactive species. Despite the growing interest in its hallucinogenic properties, the fundamental systematics of this genus remains poorly resolved due to limited taxon sampling and limited genetic characterization. This study combines a comprehensive sampling of all Lanmaoa species, including 21 type specimens, with whole genome sequencing of 53 specimens. A phylogeny of Lanmaoa is generated based upon an alignment of 1515 single-copy orthologs and recovers full statistical support at all major nodes, resolving evolutionary relationships in the genus. Phylogenomic analysis of previously unsequenced type specimens supports several taxonomic changes, including six novel combinations and the discovery of four novel species, two of which are described here-Lanmaoa fallax, sp. nov. and Lanmaoa carbonilivor, sp. nov.-resulting in a total recognition of 17 species in the genus. Genome mining of Lanmaoa asiatica fails to detect canonical biosynthetic genes associated with psilocybin or ibotenic acid production, suggesting the presence of a novel psychoactive compound. This study establishes a comprehensive genomic foundation for Lanmaoa systematics, enabling future research to more robustly explore the evolutionary history and secondary chemistry of the genus.

The porcini mushroom family Boletaceae is a diverse, widespread group of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) mushroom-forming fungi that so far has eluded intrafamilial phylogenetic resolution based on morphology and multilocus data sets. In this study, we present a genome-wide molecular data set of 1764 single-copy gene families from a global sampling of 418 Boletaceae specimens. The resulting phylogenetic analysis has strong statistical support for most branches of the tree, including the first statistically robust backbone. The enigmatic Phylloboletellus chloephorus from non-ECM Argentinian subtropical forests was recovered as a new subfamily sister to the core Boletaceae. Time-calibrated branch lengths estimate that the family first arose in the early to mid-Cretaceous and underwent a rapid radiation in the Eocene, possibly when the ECM nutritional mode arose with the emergence and diversification of ECM angiosperms. Biogeographic reconstructions reveal a complex history of vicariance and episodic long-distance dispersal correlated with historical geologic events, including Gondwanan origins and inferred vicariance associated with its disarticulation. Together, this study represents the most comprehensively sampled, data-rich molecular phylogeny of the Boletaceae to date, establishing a foundation for future robust inferences of biogeography in the group.

The species-rich porcini mushroom family Boletaceae is a widespread and well-known group of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) mushroom-forming fungi that has eluded intrafamilial phylogenetic resolution despite many attempts using morphological traits and multi-locus molecular datasets. In this study, we present a genome-wide molecular dataset of 1764 single-copy gene families from a global sampling of 418 Boletaceae specimens. The resulting phylogenetic analysis has strong statistical support for most branches of the tree, including the first statistically robust backbone. The enigmatic Phylloboletellus chloephorus from non-ECM Argentinian subtropical forests was recovered as an early diverging lineage within the Boletaceae. Time-calibrated branch lengths estimate that the family first arose in the early- to mid-Cretaceous and underwent a rapid radiation in the Eocene, possibly when the ECM nutritional mode arose with the emergence and diversification of ECM angiosperms. Biogeographic reconstructions reveal a complex history of vicariance and episodic long-distance dispersal correlated with historical geologic events, including Gondwanan origins and cladogenesis patterns that parallel its fragmentation. Ancestral state reconstruction of sporocarp morphological traits predicts that the ancestor of the Boletaceae was lamellate with ornamented basidiospores, contrary to most contemporary “bolete” morphologies. Transition rates indicated that the lamellate hymenophore and sequestrate sporocarp are reversible traits. Together, this study represents the most comprehensively sampled, data-rich molecular phylogeny of the Boletaceae to date, enabling robust inferences of trait evolution and biogeography in the group.