INVESTIGATION OF MACROFUNGI IN THE MIDDLE OF IRAQ

The study aimed to survey mushroom species from fields among herbs, palm trunks, and trees in central Iraq and to identify them on the basis of morphological and molecular characteristics. As a molecular identification result with polymerase chain reaction six species were recorded (with eight isolates): Agaricus bitorquis (Quéllt) Saccardo. 1887 (SHA14); Candolleomyces candolleanus (Fr.) D. Wächter & Melzer, 2020 (SHA15); Cyclocybe cylindracea (D.C.) Vizzini & Angelini, 2014 (SHA13); Leucoagaricus hesperius Vellinga, 2010 (SHA16); Volvariella sp. (SHA17), and Volvopluteus gloiocephalus (D. C.) Vizzini, Contu & Justo, 2011 (SHA10, SHA101 and SHA12), belonging to four families of Basidiomycetes: Agaricaceae, Pluteaceae, Psathyrellaceae, and Strophariaceae within the order Agaricales. The nuclear sequences of these species have been deposited in GenBank under the accession numbers: PP576693, PP578967, PP576221, PP576960, PP580694, PP575891, PP580693, and PP576069, respectively. These species were recorded for the first time in these areas in the middle of Iraq.