Study on species diversity of wild Morchella in Xinjiang

Thirty-one wild Morchella specimens, which were collected from five different areas in Xinjiang and selected on the basis differences in fruit body morphology, then they were identified by morphological characteristics and internal transcribed spacer sequence analysis respectively. The results showed that two strains belonged to Verpa bohemica, not Morchella semilibera, which collected from 185 regiment in Xinjiang.When the two Verpa bohemica strains were taken as outgroup, phylogenetic trees were produced by the ITS sequences of the twenty-nine strains and other species of Morchella from Gen Bank. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the twenty-five strains and Morchella sp. Mel-17/19/20/34、Morchella sp. Mel-23/24/31/32、Morchella sp. Mel-13/26 formed the first cluster. Morchella semilibera belonged to the second cluster. One strains and Morchella frustrata formed the third cluster. The fourth cluster included three strains and Morchella sp. Mes-6、Morchella sp. Mes-7 and Morchella sp. Mes-17. Morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis indicated that there were at least seven species of Morchella in these five area of Xinjiang. According to recent research, Morchella sp. Mes-17 and Morchella frustrate were two new species of Morchella in China.