Kingdom Fungi | Genus Morchella | |
People also search for Morchella disparilis, Morchella arbutiphila |
Morchella dunalii is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae (Ascomycota). Although this widespread species was described as early as 1887 by Emile Boudier, it had not appeared in any of the influential literature or monographic works on the genus until very recently. The revival of the name is owed to Moreau and colleagues, who in 2011 designated a lectotype from an old watercolour painting of this forgotten taxon. Subsequent molecular phylogenetic studies by Richard and colleagues in 2014, matched this taxon to phylogenetic lineage Mel-25.
A 2016 study by Loizides and colleagues provided a detailed description, as well as notes on the ecology and distribution of M. dunalii, which appears to be the most common and widespread morel in the Mediterranean region, frequently misidentified as M. deliciosa, M. purpurascens, or M. conica. The taxon Morchella fallax, proposed by Clowez in 2012, is a synonym of this species.