NEW RECORDED SPECIES OF MACROMYCETES IN THE BAIKAL BASIN

The Baikal Basin, which encompasses the Khuvsgul region of Mongolia, harbours a diverse array of macrofungal species. This study reports 15 macrofungal species belonging to 12 genera as new records for Mongolia, supplementing the 677 previously documented higher fungal taxa. Approximately 350 macrofungal specimens were collected during fieldwork conducted in the Khuvsgul region between 2018-2020. Genomic DNA was extracted from dried fungal specimens, and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), nLSU, and SSU regions were amplified and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using concatenated alignments of the ITS, nrLSU, RPB2, and tef1-α regions, with maximum likelihood phylogenies inferred using IQ-TREE. Although these newly recorded species are potentially new to the Baikal Basin, their status within the region requires further confirmation. Future research should focus on initiating a collaborative Mongolian-Russian study dedicated to the macrofungal diversity of the Baikal Basin to clarify the species distribution and enhance regional mycological knowledge. This study highlights the importance of ongoing mycological exploration in the Baikal Basin and the need for international collaboration to advance our understanding of fungal diversity in this ecologically significant region.