Manuscript Abstract

Volume 36, No. (4), 2026 (August)
FIRST PHYLOGENETIC AND SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC (SEM) ANALYSIS OF LYCOPERDON PERLATUM (LYCOPERDACEAE, AGARICALES) FROM PAKISTAN
Aleena Iqbal, Hira Ali, Samina Sarwar, Irmgard Krisai-Greilhuber, Nousheen Yousaf, Muhammad Fiaz, Muhammad Hanif, Abdul Majid

A. Iqbal1, H. Ali*2, S. Sarwar*2, I. Krisai-Greilhuber3, N. Yousaf4, M. Fiaz5 M. Hanif4 and A. Majid5

1Department of Botany, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Pakistan

2Institute of Botany, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

3Deptartment of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Austria

4 Department of Botany, Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan

5Department of Botany, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan

Published Online First: May 12, 2026
ABSTRACT

Fungi of the family Lycoperdaceae are an important component of forests ecosystem of both ecological and economic value. Among the best known is the puffball fungus, Lycoperdon perlatum, which exhibits a wide range of phenotypic variation and has a widespread distribution. In the current study, specimens of L. perlatum were collected from the soil around the rhizospheric zone of pine trees in District Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. These samples were examined using both traditional morphological approaches and modern molecular genetic techniques, combining both traditional and advanced methods for a more comprehensive analysis. Basidiomata were initially off-white to yellow, after maturity olivaceous-brown and pear-shaped. There are whitish warts on the exoperidium which can be easily rubbed off, leaving a characteristic areolate pattern of small granules on the underlying endoperidium. The identification of species was confirmed using DNA sequencing alongside detailed microscopic examination of the basidiomata, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of spores, and phylogenetic analysis. This combined approach provided a thorough description of L. perlatum and confirmed its taxonomic placement. These findings add to the growing documentation of macrofungal diversity in Pakistan and emphasize the important ecological roles of puffball fungi in supporting forest health and nutrient cycling.

Keywords: Agaricales, Basidiomycota, ITS, Phylogeny, Soil Fungi, Taxonomy


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JCR Year: 2025

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Print ISSN: 1018-7081

Electronic ISSN: 2309-8694

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