Jelly Mushrooms Documented from Western Ghats of Karnataka (India)

K.N. Prabhu,* R. Manoj and N. Earanna

*Department of Plant Biotechnology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru – 560065, India. Department of Agricultural Microbiology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru- 560065, India.

Received on 17 June 2016 and accepted on 19 August 2016

ABSTRACT

Western Ghats are one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world which stretches parallel to west cost of India. Climatic conditions are congenial for establishment of diverse mushroom flora. In this study, five Jelly mushroom species were collected during the monsoon season of 2015 from the Western Ghats region of Karnataka (India). Of the five Jelly fungi collected, two species were identified as Auricularia delicata (brown strain) and A. delicata (white strain) based on phenotypic characters. The other three Jelly fungi were identified using Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region. The sequence alignment made with available data base in the National Centre for Biotechnological Information (NCBI) showed 89%, 99% and 96% homology with Auricularia polytricha, Tremella fuciformis and Dacryopinax spathularia respectively.

Keywords

 Jelly mushroom, western ghats, ITS region.