A new species of Volvariella, collected from Aydın Province on the coast of the Aegean Sea in southwestern Turkey, is described as Volvariella turcica, sp. nov., based on morphology and multigene molecular analysis of three nuc rDNA gene regions: internal transcribed spacer ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS), 28S, and 18S. The new species was found in forests dominated by Pinus brutia and Quercus coccifera and mainly characterized by small basidiomata with a white pileus covered with pale ochre center and an ochre-discoloring volva, small basidiospores, lageniform pleurocystidia, balloon-shaped to clavate cheilocystidia, and stipitipellis hairs that are cylindrical or cylindrical-tortuous with subcapitate or lobe-like projections. A comprehensive description, illustrations, and line drawings are provided, and comparison with morphologically similar and phylogenetically related species is discussed.
Keywords: 1 new taxon; Agaricales; Pluteaceae; biodiversity; macrofungi; systematics; taxonomy.