Description and Identification of Some Wild Agaricus Species Grown in Western Homs Governorate, Syria

Field collection missions of wild mushrooms were conducted in the western part of Homs governorate in Syria from early October to late December 2021, and from early November to late December 2022. During the survey, six specimens of wild mushrooms were collected. Morphological characterization of collected specimens, such as pileus, scales, lamellae and stipe measurements, color, odor and the presence of annulus were immediately made. Molecular identification of these mushroom specimens, using ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacers (rDNA-ITS) sequencing. Results obtained showed that the collected isolates belong to three different species of the Agaricus genus. These are: A. bisporus (OP648153 and OP648154), A. sinodeliciosus (OP648155 and OP648157) and A. qilianensis (OP648156 and OP648159). This is the first record of the occurrence of these three species in the Syrian environment, and information on these species were deposited in the GenBank database which hopefully will facilitate the domestication and commercialization of these wild species. Keywords: Wild mushroom, identification, Syria, Agaricus qilianensis, Agaricus sinodeliciosus, Agaricus bisporus, rDNA.