Amanita ovoidea and/or Amanita proxima: the end of a mistery?

The toxicity vs. edibility of some Amanita spp. is a long-lasting debate among mycologists. Morphological, phytochemical and toxicological tests can hardly distinguish between A. ovoidea and A. proxima, raising the question whether or not they belong to the same species. Here, we performed for the first time molecular analyses of fungal samples displaying either Amanita ovoidea or A. proxima morphotype, with the aim to shed lights into their phylogenetic relationships. In agreement with Bulliard's and Dumée's first descriptions, we show that A. ovoidea and A. proxima belong to different genetic clusters and, likely, are member of two different species or species complexes. Further investigations employing additional Amanita samples are needed to get a closer look into the phylogenesis of this genus.