Fungi associated with ascocarps of desert truffles from different parts of Iran

Fungi associated with ascocarps of Terfezia claveryi, Tirmania nivea, T. pinoyi, Picoa lefebvrei and P. juniperi in Iran showed a wide range of genera and species in 94 samples collected during 2005–2009 from different regions including Fars, Systan and Baluchestan, Kerman, East Azarbaijan, Khuzestan, Kermanshah and Hormozgan provinces. Thirty two species belonging to 21 genera were recovered from ascocarps of truffles on two culture media. Penicillium chrysogenum, P. citrinum, P. griseofulvum, P. brevicompactum, P. crustosum, P. oxalicum, Aspergillus carbonarius, A. niger, A. flavus and A. terreus were the most common fungal species isolated on glucose–Czapek agar medium. The number of fungal species recovered on 20% NaCl–Czapek agar were less (4 genera and 10 species). The most abundant fungal genera belonged to Penicillium and Aspergillus. Also, Paecilomyces lilacinus and Scopulariopsis halophilica could grow on Czapek agar medium amended with 20 % NaCl. Other fungal species were not able to grow on this medium.