Mycological Progress

Life cycle of Nothoravenelia japonic a and its phylogenetic position in Pucciniales, with special reference to the genus Phakopsora Abstract The autoecious macrocyclic life cycle of Nothoravenelia japonica on Flueggea suffruticosa was clarified by inoculations. The morphology of each stage is described based on specimens obtained from inoculations. The description of the genus is also emended. Phylogenetic analyses showed that this rust fungus is closely related to one group of Phakopsora, but far from a second group. Therefore, it is suggested that the genus Phakopsora should be divided into two genera. The second group is treated as new genus Neophysopella based on morphological and phylogenetical similarities and host relations. Nine new combinations of Neophysopella are proposed.

Visiting Russula (Russulaceae, Russulales) with samples from southwestern China finds one new subsection of R. subg. Heterophyllidia with two new species Abstract Using specimens collected from subtropical pine-fagaceous mixed forests and phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequence data of ITS, 28S rDNA, rpb2 and tef1, we describe two new species, R. maguanensis and R. substriata, in R. subg. Heterophyllidia, subsect. Substriatinae subsect. nov. Russula maguanensis and R. substriata are similar to Indian R. shingbaensis in the tuberculate-striate pileus and spores with isolated warts but have more vividly coloured pileus and associate with pines and/or fagaceous trees rather than with Abies. In our multi-gene phylogeny, the new subsection and a representative of tropical African R. subsect. Aureotactinaecompose one of the four major clades of R. subg. Heterophyllidia, the three remaining ones corresponding to R. sect. Heterophyllae, R. sect. Ingratae and R. subsect. Cyanoxanthinae. The overall characters of this new section combine those of some other sections in the same subgenus: mostly tuberculate-striate but more vivid pileus, spores with isolated warts, orthochromatic pileipellis with abundant erect aggregate mucronate pileocystidia in the suprapellis but absent in the subpellis and numerous cystidioid hyphae at the bottom of subpellis and trama beneath it. It differs from its sister clade R. subsect. Aureotactinae in lacking the intense yellowing of surface and context of their fruiting bodies and having pileal cystidioid elements clearly separated by the loose tissue of subpellis from the pileocystidia at the pileus surface. In order to compare our two new species with recently described Asian species and investigate their geographical distributions, we produced an ITS genealogy including also environmental sequences. This ITS genealogy suggests that R. subsect. Substriatinae includes at least seven potential species, shows an amphi-pacific distribution and its members associate with at least four families of host trees.

Bifusisporella sorghi gen. et sp. nov. (Magnaporthaceae) to accommodate an endophytic fungus from Brazil Abstract An investigation of endophytic fungi on healthy leaves of Sorghum bicolor in Brazil led to the identification of an interesting fungus. Based on morphological features and multi-locus analyses, including ITS and LSU nrDNA, rpb1, and tef1 sequences, we propose a new genus, Bifusisporella, in the family Magnaporthaceae. The isolates exhibited a phialidic asexual morph with the following characteristics: curved conidiogenous cells, elongated, cylindrical or clavate, solitary or aggregate. Dimorphic conidia: macroconidia curved, falcate, hyaline, smooth, non-septate, guttulate, tapering at both ends; microconidia falcate, straight to slightly curved, hyaline, smooth, non-septate, hyphopodia are brown, smooth, elongated, and multi-lobulate.

Parakarstenia phyllostachydis , a new genus and species of non-lichenized Odontotremataceae (Ostropales, Ascomycota) Abstract The new species Parakarstenia phyllostachydis was discovered on stems of Phyllostachys heteroclada in Sichuan Province of China and is placed in a new genus within Odontotremataceae in this paper. A multigene analysis of a combined nuclear ITS and LSU rDNA and mtSSU sequence dataset and comparable morphologies suggests the taxonomic affinity of the new taxon in this family. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference phylogenetic analyses provide evidence that the fungus is best placed in a distinct genus within this family. The new genus is compared with similar genera of Ostropales and a comprehensive description and illustration are offered. Parakarstenia is characterized by its distinct suite of features, such as initially immersed, intracortical, later erumpent and seemingly superficial, sessile and usually gregarious apothecia with a flat to slightly convex, greyish white or pale brown disc; a hairless, buff to yellow receptacle; a non-protruding margin, absent periphysoids and crystals, cylindrical to clavate asci with conical apex and a hemiamyloid (type RR) outer wall; and narrowly cylindrical-clavate to fusoid, vermiform, straight to medium curved, initially non-septate, at maturity transversely multiseptate ascospores. An updated phylogram for Ostropales with selected, predominantly non-lichenized members based on multigene analysis is provided.

Crepatura ellipsospora gen. et sp. nov. in Phanerochaetaceae (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) bearing a tuberculate hymenial surface Abstract A new wood-inhabiting fungal genus, Crepatura, typified by C. ellipsospora sp. nov., is proposed based on a combination of morphological features and molecular evidence. The genus is characterized by an annual growth habit, resupinate basidiocarps with smooth to irregularly tuberculate hymenial surface, a monomitic hyphal system with thick-walled generative hyphae bearing both clamp connections and simple septa and ellipsoid, hyaline, thick-walled, smooth, negative in Melzer’s, acyanophilous basidiospores measuring 6.5–7.5 × 4–5 μm. Sequences of ITS and LSU nrRNA gene regions of the studied samples were generated, and phylogenetic analyses were performed with maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and Bayesian inference methods. The phylogenetic analyses based on molecular data of ITS+nLSU sequences showed that Crepatura belonged to the Phanerochaetaceae family and nested into the Donkia clade. The result demonstrated that the genus Crepatura formed a monophyletic lineage with a strong support and phylogenetically was closely related to Pirex concentricus.

New Poroid Hymenochaetaceae (Basidiomycota, Hymenochaetales) from Chile Abstract Fomitiporia chilensis and Phylloporia boldo are described as new poroid species in the Hymenochaetaceae based on morphological, cultural, ecological, and phylogenetic analyses. Fomitiporia chilensis pertains to the Fomitiporia punctata species complex, being related to its Neotropical taxa. It is distinguished by pulvinate to effuse basidiomes that develop an indurated margin, by contextual tissue between the tube strata and basidiospores larger than 6.0 μm, and by growth on dead tissues of Peumus boldus and Cryptocarya alba. Its closest phylogenetic relatives are Fomitiporia neotropica and Fomitiporia impercepta, which differ by flatter basidiomes and by microscopical features. Phylloporia boldo grows and sporulates exclusively on living Peumus boldus. It is distinguished by a pileate basidiome with sulcate, indurated pileal surface, a dimitic hyphal system and by relatively large basidiospores 5.4–6.0 × 4.4–5.0 μm with dull chestnut walls. It was found to be phylogenetically related to Phylloporia dependens, described from China; both species being distantly related to other species in Phylloporia.

The secotioid genus Galeropsis (Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota): a real taxonomic unit or ecological phenomenon? Abstract Despite the recent mycologists’ interest in relationships between gasteroid taxa and agaricoid Basidiomycetes lineages and an intensive debate on the evolution of enigmatic secotioid fungi, systematic studies of the genus Galeropsis have received little attention. Here, the taxonomy of this genus is revised based on morphological and nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS and LSU) data. The genus is shown to be polyphyletic, with at least five phylogenetic lineages corresponding to known genera of Agaricomycetes (Panaeolus, Agrocybe, Parasola, Conocybe, and Leratiomyces). The type species of Galeropsis, G. desertorum, is combined to Panaeolus, and other six new combinations are proposed. In total, eight type collections are studied. The lectotype for Psammomyces plantaginiformis is designated here. Gastrocybe iberica is placed as synonym of Panaeolus desertorum, and the names Galeropsis andina and Galeropsis bispora are synonymized under Panaeolus plantaginiformis. The detailed morphological descriptions and illustrations of microscopic structures for all studied species are given. The phylogenetic inference and our current understanding of the phylogenetic structure and ecology of Galeropsis are discussed.

Study in Agaricus section Minores in Pakistan with the description of two new species Abstract Agaricus section Minores, which belongs to A. subgenus Minores, is the most speciose section in genus Agaricus. Collections from lowland northern Pakistan presumably belonging to this section were included in phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear rDNA sequences of internal transcribed spacer and 28S regions. The analyses revealed that these collections belong to two novel species of A. sect. Minores. Agaricus glabriusculus and Agaricus latiumbonatus are subsequently described in detail and compared to closely related or resembling taxa. This is the first report of A. sect. Minores from Pakistan; with this study, the number of known species of Agaricus in the country increases to 26.

Correction to: Filamentous fungi associated with Brazilian stone samples: structure of the fungal community, diversity indexes, and ecological analysis The publisher regrets that in the original version of this article, unfortunately the Figure 1 legend was missing.

Two new taxa of the Auriscalpium vulgare species complex with substrate preferences Abstract Basidiomes of the cone-inhabiting Auriscalpium species, usually regarded as A. vulgare Gray, are widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere and easily recognized because of their unique macro-morphology. However, phylogenetic diversity patterns among different geographic populations and different substrates are completely unknown. In this study, samples of A. vulgare s.l. in different areas of China were studied phylogenetically, morphologically, and ecologically. For comparison, European collections of A. vulgare were included. Our phylogenetic analyses, inferred from partial nucleotide sequences including the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) 1 and 2 with the 5.8S nrDNA, the large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA (nrLSU), and the region between the conserved domain 6 and 7 of the gene for the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2), indicated that three phylogenetic species can be recognized, which correspond well with morphological and ecological evidence. Therefore, three species, having distinct substrate preferences, are documented here, namely the well-known A. vulgare, and the newly described species A. orientale and A. microsporum. Auriscalpium vulgare is widely distributed throughout the northern temperate Eurasia and North America, while the new species have been known mainly from subtropical East Asia and northeastern India to date.