Yuxiensis granularis gen. et sp. nov., a Novel Quellkörper-Bearing Fungal Taxon Added to Scortechiniaceae and Inclusion of Parasympodiellaceae in Coronophorales Based on Phylogenetic Evidence

An undetermined saprobic fungal taxon from Yunnan (China) is revealed as a new genus in Scortechiniaceae (Coronophorales). The novel taxon, Yuxiensis, is characterized by immersed to erumpent, semi-globose ascomata, which are not surrounded by any tomentum or conspicuous subiculum, a subcylindrical quellkörper in the centrum, clavate asci with long pedicels and allantoid hyaline ascospores with granular contents. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian posterior probability analyses based on LSU, ITS, tef1 and rpb2 sequence data depict a close phylogenetic relationship of the new genus to Pseudocatenomycopsis, hence, confirming its placement in Scortechiniaceae. Parasympodiellaceae, thus far belonging to Parasympodiellales, is transferred to Coronophorales based on multi-gene phylogenetic evidence. Additionally, the incertae sedis monotypic genus Arthrocristula is treated as a synonym of Parasympodiella, with Arthrocristula hyphenata recombined as Parasympodiella hyphenata comb. nov., as the type strain of Arthrocristula hyphenata clusters inside the Parasympodiellaceae clade along with other Parasympodiella taxa.

Mucor cheongyangensis, a new species isolated from the surface of Lycorma delicatula in Korea

A new species of Mucor, isolated from the surface of Lycorma delicatula collected at Cheongyang in the Chungnam Province of Korea, is described and compared with morphologically similar taxa. The phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and the large subunit (28S) rDNA sequences revealed that this isolate is closely related to M. orantomantidis and M. guilliermondii. However, the new isolate differs from those by having larger sporangia (24.5–125 × 23.5–120 µm), rhizoid-like structures, and production of secondary sporangia from vesicles outside of the original sporangium. Here, this novel fungal taxon is proposed as Mucor cheongyangensis sp. nov.

Circinotrichum sinense, a new asexual fungus from Hubei, China

A setose hyphomycete was collected as part of a recent expedition to search for microfungi in the Duheyuan National Nature Reserve in Hubei, China. The conidia are typical of Circinotrichum Nees, being curved or falcate, single-celled, colorless, smooth with a setula at the apical end, and similar to Circinotrichum rigidum. Circinotrichum sinense has a longer setula only at the apical end and verrucose setae, while C. rigidum has a setula on both ends and smooth setae. Phylogenetic analyses using ITS and LSU DNA sequence data and examination of the morphological characters showed that this fungus cannot be identified as any previously described species of Circinotrichum. Thus, a new fungal taxon is described. A key to recognized species of Circinotrichum is also provided.

On an undescribed species of Fibulobasidium

A new fungal taxon, Fibulobasidium sirobasidioides Bandoni sp.nov., is described and illustrated. Basidiomata develop beneath the bark of recently dead branches and trunks of Acer macrophyllum Pursh in British Columbia; they are characterized by superficially Sirobasidium-like chains of basidia.Key words: Fibulobasidium, Sirobasidium, Sirobasidiaceae, taxonomy.

Fungi associated with halophytes of an inland salt marsh, Manitoba, Canada

Six halophytic plants including Atriplex patula, Glaux maritima, Hordeum jubatum, Puccinellia nuttalliana, Salicornia rubra, and Suaeda depressa were collected at various growth stages throughout the growing season of the summers 1982 and 1983 from an inland salt marsh at Delta, Man. Washed root and shoot pieces of each plant species were plated on culture medium, incubated, and surveyed for cauloplane and rhizoplane fungi. A total of 31 taxa were isolated including 3 asco-mycetes, 2 coelomycetes, 1 zygomycete, and 25 hyphomycetes. Morphological features, plant type, cultures, and taxonomic deposition are presented for each fungal taxon.

Endophytic fungi in evergreen shrubs in western Oregon: A preliminary study

Endophytic fungi were isolated from five species of broad-leaved evergreen shrubs from 16 sites in western Oregon. Rates of infection were 76% for Mahonia nervosa, 44% for Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, 37% for Gaultheria shallon, 29% for Mahonia aquifolium, and 25% for Umbellularia californica. Incidence of leaf infections by more than one fungal taxon was 20–56%, 72–90% of which had only two infections. Rates of overall infection were higher in samples taken from densely wooded sites than in samples taken from more open sites. A pattern of species dominance is seen where the most common endophyte of a given host is isolated less frequently from other hosts; less commonly isolated endophytes appear to be less host specific. The most commonly isolated endophytes include Phyllosticta pyrolae on A. uva-ursi and G. shallon, Leptothyrium berberidis on M. nervosa, Septogloeum sp. on M. nervosa and U. californica, and Phomopsis sp., predominantly on M. aquifolium, but present on all hosts. Some of the fungi isolated from evergreen shrubs in this study were previously isolated from conifer needles; however, most represent new records.