''Morchella dunensis'', the morel of the dunes, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
fungus
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...
in the family ''
Morchellaceae
The Morchellaceae are a family of ascomycete fungi in the order Pezizales. According to a standard reference work, the family has contained at least 49 species distributed among four genera. However, in 2012, five genera that produce ascoma that ...
'' (
Ascomycota
Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The def ...
). It was first described as a
form
Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens.
Form also refers to:
*Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter data
...
of ''
Morchella esculenta
''Morchella esculenta'', (commonly known as common morel, morel, yellow morel, true morel, morel mushroom, and sponge morel) is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae of the Ascomycota. It is one of the most readily recognized of all th ...
'' by Castañera and colleagues in 1996, but was later recombined as a distinct species by Clowez.
[Clowez P. (1997). ''Morchella dunensis'' (Boud.) Clowez (stat. et comb. nov. ad int.). Une bonne espèce pour un mystère nomenclatural. Documents Mycologiques 26(104):13–20.] In a 2014 study by Richard and colleagues, the authors concluded that the taxon was conspecific to ''
Morchella vulgaris
''Morchella vulgaris'' is a widespread fungus of the family Morchellaceae ( Ascomycota). It was originally described in 1801 as a form of the common yellow morel ('' Morchella esculenta'') by mycologist Christiaan Hendrik Persoon, but was later ...
'', due to its close phylogenetic proximity to the latter.
However, following increased
molecular
A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioche ...
sampling and the testing of an isoparatype collection by Loizides and colleagues in 2016, it was revealed that ''M. dunensis'' is indeed very closely related to, but
phylogenetically
In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...
distinct from ''M. vulgaris''.
This study also showed that the taxon ''
Morchella andalusiae
''Morchella'', the true morels, is a genus of edible sac fungi closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi in the order Pezizales (division Ascomycota). These distinctive fungi have a honeycomb appearance due to the network of ridges with ...
'' is phylogenetically identical and therefore a later synonym of ''M. dunensis''.
''Morchella dunensis'' is notable for its
xerophilic,
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
ecology and distribution, often found on
coastal dunes
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...
and bare, well-drained soil.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3323805
Fungi described in 1996
Fungi of Europe
dunensis