Taxonomic Study of the Genus <i>Pholiota</i> (Strophariaceae, Basidiomycota) in Korea

The genus <i>Pholiota</i> (Strophariaceae, Basidiomycota) is made up of wood-rotting saprotrophic mushrooms characterized by a yellow or brown pileus with scales and/or slimy, and by a brownish smooth spore with a germ pore. However, these features are not enough to distinguish its species, or separate the genus <i>Pholiota</i> from other brown-spored wood-rotting genera such as <i>Hypholoma</i> and <i>Stropharia</i>. Although internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence-based identification has improved identification accuracy for species of <i>Pholiota</i>, most <i>Pholiota</i> species in Korea are reported based on morphological features. To evaluate the taxonomy of <i>Pholiota</i> species, we investigated 62 specimens collected from 1999 to 2019 in Korea using ITS sequence analysis and morphological observation. Twelve of the 16 recorded <i>Pholiota</i> species in Korea were identified. While eight species were clearly separated, the ITS analysis did not distinguish three in the <i>Pholiota adiposa</i> complex. Therefore, further investigation is required to distinguish these three species. ITS sequences deposited in GenBank confirm that <i>P. highlandensis</i> exists in Korea. The presence of the other four <i>Pholiota</i> species could not be confirmed through specimens or sequence information in GenBank. A taxonomic key and the ITS sequence data for Korean <i>Pholiota</i> species are included and can be good baselines for further research on <i>Pholiota</i> taxonomy and diversity.