The Crustose Brown Algae of New Zealand: a Taxonomic Study

<p>Nine species of crustose brown algae are described from New Zealand’s coast. Three species are microthalli of species of Scytosiphonaceae: Colpomenia bullosa Yamada, Scytosiphon lomentaria (Lyngbye) Link and Petalonia binghamiae (J. Agardh) Vinogradova. One species of Lithodermataceae, Pseudolithoderma roscoffense Loiseaux is described from Northland. Four species are Ralfsiaceae, Ralfsia expansa (J. Agardh) J. Agardh, Ralfsia confusa Hollenberg, a new species, Ralfisa sp. “smooth”, and Hapalospongidion gelatinosum Saunders. H. saxigenum Lindauer is identical to Hapalospongidion gelatinosum Saunders. One new species of Diplura, currently placed in the Ralfsiaceae, is described. Ralfsia verrucosa (Areschoug) Areschoug, previously reported from New Zealand, was not found. ITS-2 sequences show that Ralfsia expansa, Ralfsia confusa and Ralfsia sp. “smooth” are closely related. Ralfsia expansa is more distantly related. These relationships are consistent with morphological differences. LSU nrDNA sequences show Diplura sp. and Pseudolithoderma roscoffense are not closely related to other Ralfsiaceae. These algae form a weakly supported group with members of the Sphacelariales. Hapalospongidion and three Ralfsia species form a well supported group, but this group’s relationship to other phaeophycean orders is not resolved. These results are discussed in relation to plastid number and the status of the order Ralfsiales.</p>

The Crustose Brown Algae of New Zealand: a Taxonomic Study

<p>Nine species of crustose brown algae are described from New Zealand’s coast. Three species are microthalli of species of Scytosiphonaceae: Colpomenia bullosa Yamada, Scytosiphon lomentaria (Lyngbye) Link and Petalonia binghamiae (J. Agardh) Vinogradova. One species of Lithodermataceae, Pseudolithoderma roscoffense Loiseaux is described from Northland. Four species are Ralfsiaceae, Ralfsia expansa (J. Agardh) J. Agardh, Ralfsia confusa Hollenberg, a new species, Ralfisa sp. “smooth”, and Hapalospongidion gelatinosum Saunders. H. saxigenum Lindauer is identical to Hapalospongidion gelatinosum Saunders. One new species of Diplura, currently placed in the Ralfsiaceae, is described. Ralfsia verrucosa (Areschoug) Areschoug, previously reported from New Zealand, was not found. ITS-2 sequences show that Ralfsia expansa, Ralfsia confusa and Ralfsia sp. “smooth” are closely related. Ralfsia expansa is more distantly related. These relationships are consistent with morphological differences. LSU nrDNA sequences show Diplura sp. and Pseudolithoderma roscoffense are not closely related to other Ralfsiaceae. These algae form a weakly supported group with members of the Sphacelariales. Hapalospongidion and three Ralfsia species form a well supported group, but this group’s relationship to other phaeophycean orders is not resolved. These results are discussed in relation to plastid number and the status of the order Ralfsiales.</p>

A Phylogenetic Assessment of Endocalyx (Cainiaceae, Xylariales) With E. Grossus Comb. et Stat. Nov.

The phylogenetic affinities of four representative Endocalyx taxa, including three species and two varieties, are studied based on materials collected on different palm hosts in Japan and the states of Hawaii and Texas, USA. They include specimens and their isolates belonging to E. cinctus, E. indumentum, E. melanoxanthus var. grossus and E. melanoxanthus var. melanoxanthus. Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear ribosomal DNA sequence data (ITS-LSU nrDNA) confirmed that Endocalyx belongs to the order Xylariales (Sordariomycetes) where all species and varieties treated form a strongly supported monophyletic lineage within the family Cainiaceae. They were also phylogenetically well resolved and consistent with their morphological and ecological circumscription. Species status is proposed for E. melanoxanthus var. grossus under the name E. grossus comb. et stat. nov. on the basis of its distinct morphological, molecular, cultural and ecological characteristics. The putative placement of Endocalyx within the family Apiosporaceae (Amphisphaeriales) based on the presence of basauxic conidiophores is rejected considering that all species treated clustered within the distant Cainiaceae (Xylariales). This characteristic mode of conidiophore elongation is determined to have evolved independently within unrelated or distant ascomycetous lineages. Novel morphological and cultural features of Endocalyx taxa based on new isolates are commented. The recently described E. metroxyli is reduced to synonym with E. melanoxanthus.

Scutellospora deformata (Scutellosporaceae), a new species of Gigasporales from the Mediterranean sand dunes of Spain

A new species S. deformata, that occurs in six locations of marine sand dunes along the eastern Mediterranean coast of Spain is described and illustrated from spores. In the field, the species occurred in the rhizosphere of Ammophila arenaria (Poaceae), Elymus farctus (Poaceae), Otanthus maritimus (Asteraceae), and Echinophora spinosa (Apiaceae). Morphological characters related with outer, middle and inner wall of the glomerospores as well as phylogenetic analysis (partial SSU, ITS1-5.8S region and the partial LSU nrDNA) support the hypothesis that the fungus is a new species of the Scutellosporaceae.

Species Diversity With Comprehensive Annotations of Wood-Inhabiting Poroid and Corticioid Fungi in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan, located in Central Asia, harbors high diversity of woody plants. Diversity of wood-inhabiting fungi in the country, however, remained poorly known. This study summarizes the wood-inhabiting basidiomycte fungi (poroid and corticoid fungi plus similar taxa such as Merismodes, Phellodon, and Sarcodon) (Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota) that have been found in Uzbekistan from 1950 to 2020. This work is based on 790 fungal occurrence records: 185 from recently collected specimens, 101 from herbarium specimens made by earlier collectors, and 504 from literature-based records. All data were deposited as a species occurrence record dataset in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and also summarized in the form of an annotated checklist in this paper. All 286 available specimens were morphologically examined. For 138 specimens, the 114 ITS and 85 LSU nrDNA sequences were newly sequenced and used for phylogenetic analysis. In total, we confirm the presence of 153 species of wood-inhabiting poroid and corticioid fungi in Uzbekistan, of which 31 species are reported for the first time in Uzbekistan, including 19 that are also new to Central Asia. These 153 fungal species inhabit 100 host species from 42 genera of 23 families. Polyporales and Hymenochaetales are the most recorded fungal orders and are most widely distributed around the study area. This study provides the first comprehensively updated and annotated the checklist of wood-inhabiting poroid and corticioid fungi in Uzbekistan. Such study should be expanded to other countries to further clarify species diversity of wood-inhabiting fungi around Central Asia.

Morphological and molecular identification of a new species of Eichleriella (Auriculariales, Basidiomycota) in China

A new wood-inhabiting fungal species, Eichleriella xinpingensis, is described based on a combination of morphological features and molecular evidence. The species is characterized by an annual, resupinate basidiocarps with soft leathery to ceraceous hymenial surface covered by blunt-pointed spines, a dimitic hyphal system with clamp generative hyphae, two-celled, narrowly ovoid to obconical basidia and broadly cylindrical, hyaline, thin-walled, smooth, basidiospores measuring as 6.5–10 ×3.5–4.5 µm. Sequences of ITS and LSU nrDNA regions of the studied samples were generated, and phylogenetic analyses were performed with maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference methods. The phylogenetic analyses showed that E. xinpingensis belonged to the Auriculariaceae and was closely related to E. tenuicula.

Halonatospora gen. nov. with H. pansihalos comb. nov. and Glomus bareae sp. nov. (Glomeromycota; Glomeraceae)

We established single-species pot cultures of the former Glomus pansihalos, a member of the Glomeraceae, and obtained sequences of the SSU–ITS–LSU nrDNA segment and the RPB1 gene of the species. Phylogenetic analyses of the sequences indicated that G. pansihalos represents a separate clade at the rank of genus in the Glomeraceae. Consequently, the new genus was named Halonatospora, and G. pansihalos was renamed Halonatospora pansihalos comb. nov. We also grew an AMF that produced clusters with glomoid spores in single-species cultures and obtained SSU–ITS–LSU and RPB1 sequences of the fungus. Studies of pot cultures, morphological and histochemical characters of the spores, as well as phylogenetic analyses of the sequences proved that it is an undescribed species of the genus Glomus sensu stricto, which is associated with roots of Ammophila arenaria colonizing maritime sand dunes located in north-western Poland.

Rediscovery of Dacrymyces pezizoides (Dacrymycetes, Basidiomycota) 80 years after its original description

Dacrymyces pezizoides has been rediscovered for the first time since its original description in 1939. Dacrymycetous fruiting bodies recently collected from the dead branches of broad-leaved trees in Japan were identified as D. pezizoides based on their morphological characteristics, i.e., turbinate or discoid basidiocarps, hyphae without clamp connections, thick-walled marginal hyphae, and 3-septate basidiospores. Molecular phylogenetic analysis based on the LSU nrDNA and ITS regions revealed that D. pezizoides forms a clade with other Dacrymyces spp., such as D. stillatus and D. chrysospermus, and Guepiniopsis buccina. Dacrymyces pezizoides is considered to form basidiocarps in autumn on the dead branches of broad-leaved trees in warm-temperate areas of Japan.

Delimitation of European Crepidotus stenocystis as different from the North American species C. brunnescens (Inocybaceae, Agaricales)

Crepidotus stenocystis and C. brunnescens are morphologically similar species defined by globose to subglobose spores, the presence of clamp connections in all tissues and bottle-like or flask-like cheilocystidia. They are also similar in the pileal aspect which is hygrophanous, glabrous or white-fibrillose, at first white but becoming brownish with age. Each are described from separate continents and have only been reported from their respective continents, C. stenocystis from Europe and C. brunnescens from North America. The phylogenetic analysis of ITS and LSU nrDNA regions from original type material confirms the existence of two distinct species, C. brunnescens that is more closely related to C. malachioides, and C. stenocystis that is more closely related to C. applanatus. Crepidotus stenocystis differs from C. brunnescens by its more prominent spore ornamentation and longer cheilocystidia that are frequently narrowly utriform. Based on the studied material and published data, it seems that C. stenocystis is distributed throughout all of Europe and does not occur in North America, whereas C. brunnescens is only known from Michigan in the USA.