| dc.description.abstract | It is estimated that there are about 3.8 million species of fungi, of which about 120,000 have
been described to date. Gasteroid fungi currently represent a polyphyletic group with about
10,000 species, of which 324 species are known and described for Brazil. Since ancient times,
the gasteroid fungi have demonstrated important value, being used by the humanity for diverse
purposes, like economic, medicinal and gastronomic. The Caatinga, the focus of this research,
has been described as a species poor ecosystem with low level of endemism. However, recent
studies have challenged this point of view and demonstrated the importance of the Caatinga for
the conservation of Brazilian biodiversity. In this context, the present study aimed to increase
the knowledge about gasteroid fungi in two areas of biological importance in the Caatinga
phytogeographic domain, in the states of Rio Grande do Norte (Serra do Torreão - João Câmara)
and Paraíba (Serra de Cuité - Cuité). For this, 12 field trips were carried out in the periods with
the highest rainfall incidence (February to July 2017 and March to April 2018). The collection
methodology was based in specialized literature for the group. The collected basidiomas were
taken to the Fungal Biology Laboratory of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte
(UFRN), where the herborization and study of the specimens were carried out following
traditional methodology for the gasteroid fungi. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in
species requiring greater morphological detail was done. Nineteen spp. were identified
distributed in eight genera: Bovista (2 spp.), Calvatia (5 spp.), Cyathus (2 spp.), Disciseda (2
spp.), Geastrum (2 spp.), Podaxis (1 sp.), Sphaerobolus (1 sp.) and Tulostoma (4 spp.). Among,
five are new species for science, four are first records for South America, ten first records for
Brazil, thirteen first records for the semiarid, three first records for the state of Paraíba and
thirteen first records for Rio Grande do Norte. The Serra do Torreão and the Serra de Cuité
have been shown to be favorable for studies about gasteroid fungi. Thus, additional taxonomic
studies are necessary in areas of Caatinga, allowing an increase in the conservation of these
species. | |
