Glomus ibericum, Septoglomus mediterraneum, andFunneliformis pilosus, three new species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Three new arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal species-Glomus ibericum, Septoglomus mediterraneum, andFunneliformis pilosus-are described and illustrated. In the field, the three species were associated with roots ofAmmophila arenaria(Poaceae),Elymus farctus(Poaceae),Otanthus maritimus(Asteraceae), andEchinophora spinosa(Apiaceae) colonizing maritime dunes located along the Mediterranean coast in eastern Spain. The novelty of these species is supported by morphological, molecular, and phylogenetic analyses. Single-species cultures ofS. mediterraneumandF. pilosuswere obtained usingTrifolium repensas a host plant, both forming arbuscular mycorrhizae, whereas single-species cultures fromG. ibericumcould not be obtained. Spores ofG. ibericumusually occur in sporocarps, rarely singly in soil or inside roots. In contrast,S. mediterraneumonly forms single spores in soil andF. pilosusoccurs in sporocarps and singly in soil or inside roots. The respective small subunit, internal transcribed spacer, and large subunit (SSU-ITS1-5.8S-ITS2-LSU) nrDNA sequences placed the new species in the generaGlomus, Septoglomus, andFunneliformis, all of them separated from previously described species.