<i>Tuber cumberlandense and T. canirevelatum</i> , two new edible <i>Tuber</i> species from eastern North America discovered by truffle-hunting dogs

Ectomycorrhizal fungi in the genus <i>Tuber</i> form hypogeous fruiting bodies called truffles. Many <i>Tuber</i> species are highly prized due to their edible and aromatic ascomata. Historically, there has been attention on cultivating and selling European truffle species, but there is growing interest in cultivating, wild-harvesting, and selling species of truffles endemic to North America. North America has many endemic <i>Tuber</i> species that remain undescribed, including some that have favorable culinary qualities. Here, we describe two such <i>Tuber</i> species from eastern North America. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of ITS (internal transcribed spacer), <i>tef1</i> (translation elongation factor 1-alpha), and <i>rpb2</i> (second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II) sequences were used to place these species within a phylogenetic context. We coupled these data with morphological analyses and volatile analyses based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. <i>Tuber cumberlandense</i>, sp. nov. (previously referred to as <i>Tuber</i> sp. 66), is a member of the Rufum clade that has been opportunistically harvested for commercial sale from <i>T. melanosporum</i> orchards across eastern North America. <i>Tuber canirevelatum</i>, sp. nov. belongs in the Macrosporum clade and thus far is only known from eastern Tennessee, USA. Both new species were discovered with the assistance of trained truffle dogs. The volatile profiles of <i>T. canirevelatum</i> and <i>T. cumberlandense</i> were measured in order to characterize aromas based on the chemical compounds produced by these fungi. Ascomata from both species were enriched in acetone, dimethyl sulfide, 1-(methylthio)-1-propene, and 1-(methylthio)propane. In this work, we celebrate and encourage the use of trained truffle-hunting dogs for fungal biodiversity discovery and research.