doi: 10.4489/KJM.2026.54.2.9 Citation BibTeX RIS Mendeley

New Records of Five Cortinarius Species from South Korea: Morphological and Phylogenetic Evidence

New Records of Five Cortinarius Species from South Korea: Morphological and Phylogenetic Evidence

• Chang Sun Kim (Forest Biodiversity Conservation Research Division, Korea National Arboretum, Pocheon 11186, Korea)
• Sung Yeon Lee (Forest Biodiversity Conservation Research Division, Korea National Arboretum, Pocheon 11186, Korea)
• Kyeong-Rok Kim (Forest Biodiversity Conservation Research Division, Korea National Arboretum, Pocheon 11186, Korea)
• Dae Ho Kim (Forest Biodiversity Research Division, Korea National Arboretum, Pocheon 11186, Korea)
• Young-Nam Kwag (Forest Biodiversity Research Division, Korea National Arboretum, Pocheon 11186, Korea)

We investigated Cortinarius specimens collected from major Pung-hyeol-ji sites and Mt. Odaesan in Gangwon-do, Korea, in 2024, and identified them using internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-based phylogenetic analyses and morphological observations. Phylogenetic analyses based on ITS sequences produced congruent tree topologies using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods. The specimens were assigned to Cortinarius alpinus, C. falsosus, C. fulvopaludosus, C. lepidopus, and C. scotoides, all of which have recently emerged in South Korea. Morphological findings generally agreed with the characteristics of each species, and minor differences were interpreted as intraspecific variation. Four of the five Cortinarius species were collected from Pung-hyeol-ji habitats, suggesting a preference for the cool, humid microclimate of wind-hole ecosystems. This study expands the established distribution of Cortinarius species in South Korea and highlights the ecological significance of Pung-hyeol-ji habitats as potential microrefugia for ectomycorrhizal fungi.