Mycologia最新文献

In this study, morphological characteristics, ecological features, and phylogenetic analyses based on nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS), partial nuc rDNA 28S (28S), and the translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1) were employed to investigate the species diversity of the genus Volvariella in southwestern China. Eight species are recognized, among which are five known species, namely, V. bombycina, V. hypopithys, V. morozovae, V. pulla, and V. volvacea, and three new species described here, namely, V. parvirimosa, V. pilosa, and V. rimosa. Volvariella pulla represents a species new to China. For species delimitation, the size of the basidiomes, the morphology of the pileus, the size of basidiospores, and the morphology of hymenial cystidia are informative. Taxonomic descriptions of the new species are presented, and a key to the eight species from southwestern China is provided.

Three new species of Artomyces from the Gaoligong Mountains and adjacent areas of southwestern China, namely, A. brunneoalbus, A. hirtipes, and A. pteruloides, are described based on morphological characteristics, molecular phylogenetic evidence, and ecological traits. Two other species described recently, A. niveus and A. yunnanensis, have also been identified in the same area. In addition, the occurrence of A. pyxidatus in southwestern China and North Macedonia was confirmed. Our study indicated that the species diversity of Artomyces is relatively high in East Asia. To date, seven species of Artomyces have been reported from the region, including the aforementioned species and A. microsporus. Given the diversity of forest ecosystems, from tropical to temperate areas in China, additional species of the genus could be revealed in the future.

Species of Thelephora Ehrh. ex Willd. (Thelephorales, Basidiomycota) are known from all continents where ectomycorrhizal (ECM) host plants occur. Although often poorly represented in sporocarp surveys due to the cryptic basidiomata of the resupinate species, belowground sequencing studies in both temperate and tropical systems have shown that thelephoroid fungi are often the dominant ECM group. In the South American lowland tropics, thelephoroid fungi remain poorly known, and very few species have been described from the region. Long-term surveys in Guyana have revealed a wide diversity of ECM fungal species in association with the ECM trees Dicymbe corymbosa (Fabaceae subfam. Detarioideae) and Aldina insignis (Benth.) Endl. (Fabaceae subfam. Papilionoideae). Thelephoroid species form a prominent component of this ECM fungal assemblage, as evidenced by their dominance in both adult tree and seedling root tip surveys and frequent occurrence as fertile basidiomata on a variety of substrata. Here we describe four new thelephoroid species from Guyana that are among the most frequently collected as basidiomata: Thelephora ascendens, Thelephora compacta, Thelephora singularis, and Thelephora ventricobasidia. Three of these species have resupinate basidiomata and would have formerly been assigned to the genus Tomentella Pers. ex Pat. Morphological descriptions, habit, habitat, and known distribution are provided for each new species. Sequence data for the barcode internal transcribed spacer (ITS) locus is provided for types and most other collections of the new species, and a molecular phylogenetic analysis across the Thelephoraceae corroborates their status as novel taxa.

Pennisetum purpureum × P. americanum is an important forage in southwest China. In recent years, a considerable number of wilting plants have occurred in forage-growing regions located in Yunnan Province. The typical symptoms were that the surface of the wilted stems turned brown with a covering of white powder. Six isolates were identified as a new Brunneomyces species based on morphological characteristics and combined phylogenetic analysis of partial 28S nuc rDNA region (28S), internal transcribed spacer (ITS), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1-α), and the RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) sequence data. The Koch's postulates test confirmed Brunneomyces pennisetum, sp. nov. as a pathogen causing wilt disease in Pennisetum purpureum × P. americanum. The colony diameter of B. pennisetum, sp. nov. exhibited different sensitivity to the six fungicides. Carbendazol (50%) was demonstrated to be the most effective in slowing the growth rate of the pathogen. The pathogen exhibited a higher growth rate at pH 7.0 but could not grow when the pH was greater than 9. The pathogen growth peaked at 25 C, but it could not grow at 5, 10, and 35 C.

The current study was conducted to obtain the first detailed assessment of true morel (Morchella) species diversity in Pakistan. A collection of 179 morels was obtained by conducting field surveys in 13 districts during spring and autumn of 2014 through 2020. Species were identified phylogenetically by analyzing portions of two (RPB1, RPB2) or four (RPB1, RPB2, TEF1, ITS rDNA) marker loci together with authentic reference sequences of known species and by conducting BLASTn queries of National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) GenBank. A retrospective analysis of morel sequences from Pakistani (N = 52) and Indian (N = 69) collections accessioned in GenBank was also conducted to expand and compare our knowledge of Morchella species diversity in both countries. Analyses of our 179-morel collection and the 52 Pakistani sequences deposited in GenBank indicated that at least 20 species are present in Pakistan, including five putatively novel taxa within the Elata subclade here informally distinguished as Morchella spp. (Mel-43 to Mel-47). Phylospecies Mel-45 and Mel-46 were described formally as M. pycnogranulata and M. waziristanica, respectively. By comparison, analyses of the 69 Indian sequences deposited in GenBank indicated that at least 12 species are extant in India. However, only 4/9 Pakistani and 3/12 Indian species were correctly identified in GenBank. Two collections of the steppe morel, M. steppicola (Mes-1), from Afghanistan were also included in the present study, which extends the southeasternmost range of this morphologically distinct species.

Hypsizygus ulmarius, a novel oyster mushroom species, offers potential scope due to its low-cost production, high biological efficiency, and notable nutritional, medicinal, and therapeutic properties. The present study standardized commercial cultivation technology for H. ulmarius in the Trans-Gangetic Plains of India. The mycelium grew well on potato dextrose agar and carrot extract broth at pH 8.0 and temperature 25 C. Wheat straw supplemented with the cotton seed hull at the rate of 10.0% dose, spawned with pearl millet grain spawn at the rate of 5.0% spawn dose, gave the highest mushroom yield (953.66 g/0.4 kg dry substrate) with biological efficiency (238.41%). The first flush sporocarps were freeze-dried for physicochemical characterization, revealing 16 strong peaks and 8 functional groups via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. Particle size averaged 45.97 µm of mushroom powder, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed diverse surface textures. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolic profiling identified 20 key secondary metabolites each from hexane and methanolic extracts, with therapeutic uses that are valuable for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and food industry applications.

Advancements in fungal taxonomy have been significantly enhanced by multilocus phylogenetic analyses, which improve the precision of species identification. This study also employs such methods to investigate the genus Conocybe, resulting in the description of three novel species, viz. C. hasiluprensis and C. sultanii belonging to the section Pilosellae and C. ferruginae of section Conocybe, from southern Punjab, Pakistan. Field collections yielded specimens that were examined morphologically and genetically, using a multilocus phylogenetic analysis utilizing sequences from the ITS, 28S, and TEF1-α regions. A combined phylogenetic tree was constructed through maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods, revealing three novel taxa occupying their respective distinct branches. Further, morphological analysis complemented the genetic data, with each species displaying unique characteristics. This study not only adds to the fungal biodiversity of Pakistan but also provides a robust framework for future taxonomic and ecological research in the region. In addition, we provide a key to the known species of Conocybe in Pakistan.

The plant genus Eryngium (Apiaceae) includes various species used as condiments, ornamentals in gardens, or as elements in floral arrangements. In recent years, there has been a surge in interceptions from South America at U.S. ports of entry, leading to the subsequent destruction of these plants due to the presence of an unidentified species of Entyloma (Entylomatales, Exobasidiomycetes). The combination of morphology, host, and geographic origin did not align with any reported species on Eryngium. This study aimed to identify and characterize this unknown Entyloma sp. ascertain its phylogenetic relationship with other Entyloma species, and verify the identity of the host plant. Morphological and phylogenetic (nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer [ITS] regions) analyses were performed, in context with available sequences and species of Entyloma. Nuc rDNA ITS was also used to attempt the identification of the host. Findings reveal that the unidentified Entyloma sp. forms a distinct and well-supported clade separate from other species on Eryngium. Its closest relatives include En. carmeli, En. eryngii, En. eryngii-cretici, En. eryngii-plani, En. lagoeciae, and En. scandicis. Morphologically, it resembles En. argentinense, En. eryngii-alpini, En. eryngii-cretici, En. eryngii-maritimi, and En. eryngii-plani; however, a combination of host affiliation, geography, and morphology distinguishes the new Entyloma sp. from these five species. Therefore, the new species Entyloma meridionale is described herein. The host plant was confirmed as Eryngium planum. This research increases knowledge of Entyloma diversity and contributes to understanding the dynamics of pathogen movement and potential invasion into new territories.

Pluteus leoninus is a commonly reported species, characterized by a yellow pileus, yellow colors on the stipe, pleurocystidia provided with digitiform excrescences, and a pileipellis composed of long, fusiform elements. Several species related to P. leoninus have been described from the temperate and boreal areas of the Northern Hemisphere, and previous phylogenetic studies have shown that more than one species can be recognized around P. leoninus, but it was unclear how many, or which names, would be correct for them. We studied 141 holarctic collections in the /leoninus clade and available type collections of species in this group. Taking into account the morphological, molecular (ITS, tef1), ecological, and geographic variation in our data set, we recognize 12 holarctic species, six in Eurasia (P. favrei, P. leoninus, P. roseipes, P. ochraceoleoninus, sp. nov. P. ussuriensis, sp. nov. P. variabilicolor) and six in North America (P. aureus, sp. nov. P. croceus, sp. nov. P. flavofuligineus, P. hesperius, sp. nov. P. insularis, sp. nov. P. pumae, sp. nov.). Tropical species included by Singer in stirps Leoninus are briefly discussed: P. chrysaegis, originally described from Srik Lanka, is confirmed to occur in North America (Florida, Puerto Rico); we provide the first modern description and molecular data for P. conizatus, originally described from Sri Lanka, which is confirmed to be part of Pluteus sect. Hispidoderma but does not belong in the /leoninus clade.

This study examined fungi with Xylaria-like morphology on submerged decorative wood in freshwater aquariums in Minnesota and Colorado. The wood was sold in retail stores in the United States but originated from Asia. The submerged wood had black stromatic melanized structures with white tips that grew out from the wood. As colonization progressed, the fungus produced more melanized structures along the entire length of the wood and moved to new wood placed in the aquariums. Cut segments from the fungal structures and from the colonized wood were cultured in malt extract agar supplemented with antibiotics. Pure cultures obtained were used for DNA extraction, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification was performed using ITS1F-ITS4. Sequences were compared against the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) nucleotide database using BLASTn. Isolates from the fungal structures and wood obtained from the Minnesota and Colorado aquariums were all found to be Xylaria apoda, a fungus not previously reported from the United States. Phylogenetic analysis shows that the aquarium isolates of Xylaria cluster within a well-supported clade of Xylaria apoda. These Xylaria had grown in a completely aquatic habitat, producing fruiting body-like structures for several years in the freshwater aquariums. Asexual spores were not observed but may have been disseminated into the water as they are formed. Asci and ascospores were also not observed. Xylaria apoda has been reported only from Asia, and it is usually found in terrestrial habitats. This report adds to our knowledge of Xylaria that can grow in a completely underwater environment and focuses attention on an avenue for exotic fungi to be brought into new countries where they are not native. These results also contribute to the growing body of evidence that X. apoda is an ecologically versatile species, capable of thriving in diverse environments, including artificial habitats such as freshwater aquariums.