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Helvella is a species-rich genus, forming a large variation of astounding
ascocarps in many different habitats. During the last decade, molecular
markers and morphological characters have been combined to delimit and
identify cryptic species in this genus. We report on a list of 54 species
of Helvella s.s. in the Nordic region and describe five new species, i.e.
H. bresadolae, H. convexa, H. japonica, H. nordlandiae and H. oroarctica.
The morphological and molecular characteristics of the new species and the
emended / hypocrateriformis, / fibrosa-macropus, and / fallax-pezizoides
lineages of Helvella s.s. are shortly commented upon. Further, we include
a discussion of the distribution of species in the Nordic region based on
a large set of studied collections. The ecological versatility and
variable geographic patterns of these species indicate that cryptic
species may have contrasting ecology in their local habitats.
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