Molecular identification of co-occurring Cortinarius and Dermocybe species from southeastern Australian sclerophyll forests

 The ability of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region to discriminate 10 co-occurring Cortinarius and Dermocybe species at a southeastern Australian sclerophyll forest site was assessed. Using the basidiomycete-specific primers ITS1F and ITS4B, some taxa were separated on the basis of individual RFLP patterns derived using the restriction endonucleases Hae III or Hinf I. Combined data from both endonucleases were, however, required to separate all taxa Dermocybe austro-veneta Clel. (Moser & Horak), C. rotundisporus Clel. & Cheel, C. archeri Berk., C. sinapicolor Clel., C. violaceus (L.: Fr.) S.F.Gray, C. radicatus Clel. and four morphologically-distinct, but unidentified Cortinarius spp.]. ITS sequence comparisons confirmed that D. austro-veneta belongs in Dermocybe, that C. rotundisporus is correctly placed in subgenus Phlegmacium, and suggest that Australian C. violaceus collections are not conspecific with northern hemisphere C. violaceus. Accepted: 4 March 1999