Aspergillus diversity from the Gcwihaba Cave in Botswana and description of one new species

A fungal survey of the Gcwihaba Cave from Botswana found Aspergillus to be one of the more common fungal genera isolated. The 81 Aspergillus strains were identified using CaM sequences and comparing these to a curated reference dataset. Nineteen species were identified representing eight sections (sections Candidi, Circumdati, Flavi, Flavipedes, Nidulantes, Nigri, Terrei and Usti). One strain could not be identified. Morphological characterisation and multigene phylogenetic analyses confirmed it as a new species in section Flavipedes and we introduce it below as A. okavangoensis. The new species is most similar to A. iizukae, both producing conidiophores with vesicles typically wider than 20 µm. The new species, however, does not produce Hülle cells and its colonies grow slower than those of A. iizukae on CYA at 37 °C (14–15 vs 18–21 mm) and CREA (15–16 vs 23–41mm).

Sirolpidium bryopsidis, a parasite of green algae, is probably conspecific with Pontisma lagenidioides, a parasite of red algae

The genus Sirolpidium (Sirolpidiaceae) of the Oomycota includes several species of holocarpic obligate aquatic parasites. These organisms are widely occurring in marine and freshwater habitats, mostly infecting filamentous green algae. Presently, all species are only known from their morphology and descriptive life cycle traits. None of the seven species classified in Sirolpidium, including the type species, S. bryopsidis, has been rediscovered and studied for their molecular phylogeny, so far. Originally, the genus was established to accommodate all parasites of filamentous marine green algae. In the past few decades, however, Sirolpidium has undergone multiple taxonomic revisions and several species parasitic in other host groups were added to the genus. While the phylogeny of the marine rhodophyte- and phaeophyte-infecting genera Pontisma and Eurychasma, respectively, has only been resolved recently, the taxonomic placement of the chlorophyte-infecting genus Sirolpidium remained unresolved. In the present study, we report the phylogenetic placement of Sirolpidium bryopsidis infecting the filamentous marine green algae Capsosiphon fulvescens sampled from Skagaströnd in Northwest Iceland. Phylogenetic reconstructions revealed that S. bryopsidis is either conspecific or at least very closely related to the type species of Pontisma, Po. lagenidioides. Consequently, the type species of genus Sirolpidium, S. bryopsidis, is reclassified to Pontisma. Further infection trials are needed to determine if Po. bryopsidis and Po. lagenidioides are conspecific or closely related. In either case, the apparently recent host jump from red to green algae is remarkable, as it opens the possibility for radiation in a largely divergent eukaryotic lineage.

Hysterangiales revisited: expanded phylogeny reveals new genera and two new suborders

Hysterangiales (Phallomycetidae, Agaricomycetes, Basidiomycota) is a diverse, nearly cosmopolitan order of predominantly hypogeous, sequestrate, ectomycorrhizal fungi. Expanding on previously published phylogenies, we significantly increased sampling of Hysterangiales specimens, emphasizing representatives from Australia. Using protein-coding genes atp6 (adenosine triphosphate synthase subunit 6) and tef1 (translation elongation factor 1-α), we recovered 26 provisional novel genera, and corroborated existing genera and families. Further, two new suborders (Phallogastrineae subord. nov. and Hysterangineae subord. nov.) and a new family (Phallogastraceae fam. nov.) are described, and three new combinations made to Phallogaster. Aspects of classification and biogeography are presented.

Three independent evolutionary events of sequestrate Lactifluus species in Australasia

Three Australian species with sequestrate basidiome forms are recorded for the first time in the genus Lactifluus based on nuclear ITS-LSU and morphological data. These species represent three rare independent evolutionary events resulting in sequestrate basidiomes arising from agaricoid species in three different sections in two subgenera. All three species have highly reduced basidiome forms, and no species with intermediate forms have been found. Lactifluus dendriticus is unique in the genus in having highly branched, dendritic terminal elements in the pileipellis. We provide full descriptions of two species: Zelleromyces dendriticus (= Lactifluus dendriticus comb. nov.) in Lactifluus subg. Lactifluus sect. Gerardii, and Lactifluus geoprofluens sp. nov. in Lf. subg. Lactifluus sect. Lactifluus. A reduced description is provided for the third, Lactifluus sp. prov. KV181 in Lf. subg. Pseudogymnocarpi sect. Pseudogymnocarpi, as it is currently known from a single sequence.

Table S1

Table S1. GenBank accession numbers and isolates employed in the phylogenetic analyses. Names in bold represent samples sequenced for the present study.

Ophiostomatoid fungi including a new species associated with Asian larch bark beetle Ips subelongatus, in Heilongjiang (Northeast China)

Ips subelongatus (Coleoptera, Scolytinae) is an important bark beetle species that infests Larix spp. in Asia. Individuals of this beetle are vectors of ophiostomatoid fungi, on their exoskeletons, that are transmitted to infested trees. In this study, the symbiotic assemblage of ophiostomatoid fungi associated with I. subelongatus in Northeast China was studied. Fungal isolates were identified based on their morphological characters and sequences of ITS, beta-tubulin, elongation factor 1-alpha and calmodulin gene regions. In total, 48 isolates were collected and identified, residing in six taxa. These included a novel species, described here as Ophiostoma gmelinii sp. nov.

Morphological and molecular characterization of Langdonia walkerae sp. nov. infecting Aristida stricta and A. beyrichiana in longleaf pine-grassland ecosystems in the southeastern USA

A smut fungus that hinders wiregrass restoration efforts in longleaf pine-grassland ecosystems was collected from Aristida stricta and A. beyrichiana (Poaceae) in three states in the southeastern USA. Morphological and phylogenetic characteristics of this fungus were examined. These data show that the specimens from both plant species were infected by the same fungus and represent a new species of Langdonia. The new species differs morphologically from other species of Langdonia by teliospores being solitary and not compacted into spore balls. Spore wall ornamentation and teliospore size also differ from other Langdonia species. Phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences of the ITS, LSU, and EF-1α supported separation of the species from A. stricta and A. beyrichiana from other Langdonia species. Based on these results, a new species, Langdonia walkerae, is proposed.

Table S1

Table S1. Collection details and GenBank accession numbers of strains used in the phylogenetic trees.

Fig. S1 & Tables S1-S4

Figure S1. Overview map of the biogeographical regions used for Table 1. Biogeographic regions are based on biogeographic realms (https://ecoregions2017.appspot.com/), with three major differences: Western Palearctic (Western part of the Palearctic realm), Asia (Eastern part of the Palearctic realm combined with the Indo-Malay realm), and Australasia (Australasian realm combined with the Oceanian realm). The Palearctic realm was spilt into Western Palearctic and Eastern Palearctic, Eastern Palearctic and the Indo-Malay realm form together the Asia region, and the Australasian realm is combined with the Oceania realm to form the Australasian region.Table S1. List of described Lactifluus species, together with the year of description, taxonomical classification (subgenus, section), the indication of how this taxonomical position was defined, the source(s) of this classification, and notes.Table S2. Extra information on the preliminary study of metabarcoding data of the genus Lactifluus, retrieved from the GlobalFungi website.Table S3. Overview of the results of the preliminary study of metabarcoding data of the genus Lactifluus, retrieved from the GlobalFungi website. Due to the generally shorter length and lower quality of environmental sequence data, the numbers in the table are to be considered an estimate.Table S4. List of the putative new species found in the environmental sequences. References of studies cited are given in S3.

Figs S1-S4

Fig. S1. Phylogram obtained from ML analyses of the partial BT and EF gene sequences of the O. clavatum species complex. Sequences obtained in this study are printed in bold type. Maximum-likelihood bootstrap support values (1 000 replicates) above 70 % are indicated at the nodes. Bayesian inference posterior probabilities (above 0.9) are indicated by bold lines at the relevant branches. T = ex-type cultures. Fig. S2. Phylogram obtained from ML analyses of the ITS region and the partial BT gene of the O. ips species complex. Sequences obtained in this study are printed in bold type. Maximum-likelihood bootstrap support values (1 000 replicates) above 70 % are indicated at the nodes. The Bayesian inference posterior probabilities (above 0.9) are indicated by bold lines at the relevant branches. T = ex-type cultures. Fig. S3. Phylogram obtained from ML analyses of the ITS region, and the partial BT and CAL gene sequences of the Sporothrix gossypina species complex. Sequences obtained in this study are printed in bold type. Maximum-likelihood bootstrap support values (1 000 replicates) above 70 % are indicated at the nodes. Bayesian inference posterior probabilities (above 0.9) are indicated by bold lines at the relevant branches. T = ex-type cultures. Fig. S4. Phylogram obtained from ML analyses of the ITS region, and the partial BT and EF gene sequences of Endoconidiophra. Sequences obtained in this study are printed in bold type. Maximum-likelihood bootstrap support values (1 000 replicates) above 70 % are indicated at the nodes. Bayesian inference posterior probabilities (above 0.9) are indicated by bold lines at the relevant branches. T = ex-type cultures.