Expanding the Known Diversity of the Truffle Genus Genea: One New Species and Two New Records from Hungary

The truffle genus Genea plays an important role as an ectomycorrhizal fungus, yet its taxonomy, evolutionary relationships, and ecological behaviour remain poorly understood globally. This study describes Genea budensis sp. nov. and reports G. arenaria and G. zamorana for the first time from Hungary, based on morphological examination and phylogenetic analyses of ITS and LSU sequences. The new species Genea budensis sp. nov., found in the Buda Mountains in Hungary, is characterized by a warty, scale-covered surface peridium; spores ornamented with dense, cone-shaped projections, with some of them being blunt-tipped or bud-like in form. This discovery also marks the first documented occurrence of both Genea zamorana and G. arenaria within Hungary. These findings expand the documented diversity and geographic distribution of Genea in Hungary and provide additional morphological and molecular data for future taxonomic studies of the genus.