Mycological Progress最新文献

Gohteikhimyces, a new genus of dematiaceous hyphomycetes occurring on decaying wood submerged in a freshwater stream of Taiwan, is proposed based on morphological and molecular data. It is characterized by effuse, black, and somewhat glistening colonies on the surface of natural substratum, which are mainly composed of solitary, dry, dark, cymbiform, or ellipsoidal to obovoid, 3–4-euseptate conidia. The conidia secede rhexolytically from semi-macronematous conidiophores with percurrent regeneration. The conidia resemble those of Bactrodesmium species, but they are not produced from sporodochial conidiomata. Phylogenetically, this new genus is placed in the Savoryellomycetidae incertae sedis, closely related to Flammispora, but is distant from the Fucosporellales which contains the Bactrodesmium species. This new genus is proposed based on three collections from different localities in Taiwan, with descriptions of two novel species, G. bactrodesmioides and G. tarooides, which differ in conidial morphology. The two species are supported by sufficient differences in their LSU, SSU, and the ITS sequences. In this paper, the genus Gohteikhimyces is illustrated with light micrographs and scanning electron micrographs.

This study deals with the elucidation of the life cycle of an inoperculate discomycete that was eventually collected from conifer wood in South Germany and has become famous for the extraordinary diversity of its secondary metabolites when it was studied extensively during the 1990s. It had then been identified as Lachnum papyraceum (Lachnaceae, Helotiales) based on morphological traits, and extracts from its mycelial cultures were found to possess extraordinary nematicidal and antibiotic activities. Over 60 different secondary metabolites were finally identified from this fungus after extensive variation of culture media and scale-up of production up to 100-L scale. Among the main active principles were mycorrhizin A and chloromycorrhizin A, which had first been reported in 1977 from an unnamed “mycorrhizal” fungus of the hemiparasitic plant, Monotropa hypopitys (pinesap), that was isolated in Sweden. We noted that both the Lachnum strain and the original mycorrhizin producer were still available in the public domain and decided to study them for comparison using a multilocus phylogeny and also generated secondary metabolite profiles of both strains using analytical high performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array and mass spectrometric detection (HPLC–DAD/MS). Surprisingly, the sequence data as well as the secondary metabolite profiles of both strains were highly similar, and it was also confirmed by phylogenetic methods that the strains are indeed nested within the genus Lachnum by comparison of their ITS, LSU, and RPB2 sequences. The specimen called L. papyraceum in the old publications was tentatively re-identified by Hans-Otto Baral as L. cf. subvirgineum, but substantial further work on the taxonomy of the genus remains to be done, anyway. We conclude that some Lachnum species have a highly complex but all the more interesting life cycle, and the mycorrhizal symbiont partner may invade the host plant, where it may persist as an endophyte and finally turn saprotrophic on the wood of the senescent pine tree. The taxonomy of these fungi should also be further resolved in the future, using a polythetic concept that includes chemotaxonomic data and a multi-locus genealogy.

The identity and diversity of Kordyana species on three native species of Commelinaceae in Australia were studied following surveys in 2020–2022 for Kordyana brasiliensis, which had been deliberately released as a biocontrol agent for the environmental weed Tradescantia fluminensis. Three new species of Kordyana are described from Australia based on DNA sequence analysis of the ITS and LSU rDNA regions, morphology, host associations, and geographic distributions. Two new species, Kordyana spectabilis on Aneilema acuminatum and Kordyana luteoalba on Pollia crispata, occur in shaded rainforest habitats in eastern Australia. The third new species, Kordyana occidentalis on Commelina ensifolia, occurs in forests and woodlands of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Morphological descriptions are provided for these three new species of Kordyana as well as for the conidial stage of K. brasiliensis.

The calcineurin-CRZ-1 signaling pathway regulates the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway in Neurospora crassa. The expression of different carotenoid biosynthesis genes al-1, al-2, al-3, cao-2, and ylo-1 was downregulated in the Cna-1^RIP mutants. Additionally, the repression of cna-1, cnb-1, and crz-1 causes a reduction in overall carotenoid accumulation and a compromised expression in the carotenoid biosynthesis genes. We predicted and determined the exact CRZ-1 binding sites in the carotenoid biosynthesis genes al-2, cao-2, and ylo-1 genes. CRZ-1 binds in the promoter of al-2 in three different regions − 948 to − 955 bp, − 1268 to − 1275 bp, and − 897 to − 904 bp. Similarly, CRZ-1 binds to two different regions − 1742 to − 1749 and − 1232 to − 1239 bp in cao-2, and three different regions − 557 to − 564, − 513 to − 520, and − 511 to − 518 bp in the upstream of the start codon of ylo-1. Therefore, the CRZ-1 transcription factor regulates carotenoid biosynthesis genes in N. crassa.

The Namib Desert (Namibia) is home to fairy circles which are barren, circular to almost-circular patches of land surrounded by grasses. During a survey of the fungi associated with the most common grass species, Stipagrostis ciliata (Poaceae), and its rhizospheric soils associated with these fairy circles, Curvularia was commonly isolated (80 strains). Curvularia is a cosmopolitan fungal genus that occurs in diverse geographical locations and on a wide range of substrates, but particularly on foliar plants. Curvularia strains were identified based on multilocus sequence comparisons of their internal transcribed spacer rDNA region (ITS), and the partial gene regions of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1). The strains belonged to 13 species, including the discovery of five novel Curvularia species. The aim of this paper was to report on the identified species and to formally describe and name the new species as C. deserticola, C. gobabebensis, C. maraisii, C. namibensis, and C. stipagrostidicola.

European members of the species-rich sect. Vaginatae of the genus Amanita are studied focusing on Central (Austria, Hungary, N Italy and Romania), Western (France) and North European (Norway) collections. The combination of a 4-locus (nrDNA ITS, nrDNA LSU, RPB1 and TEF1-α) molecular phylogenetic analysis and a morphological approach resulted in the discovery of three new species: Amanita deflexa and A. griseofulva from stirps Fulva and A. opaca from stirps Coryli. Furthermore, the albinotic white forms of A. griseofulva (f. albida) and A. opaca (f. cettoi) are formally named. As a result of the comprehensive taxonomic revision of Amanita sect. Vaginatae, 370 newly generated sequences are deposited to GenBank, and 17 species new to Hungary are reported. This study provides another step towards understanding the taxonomy and diversity of Amanita section Vaginatae in Europe.

Fuscosporella xingyiensis, collected from submerged wood in Malaysia and Taiwan, is described and illustrated with light and scanning electron micrographs. It is a dematiaceous hyphomycete producing ellipsoidal, muriform conidia with two lateral hyaline, sac-like appendages, one at each end of the conidium. This unique type of conidia for the first time is indicated to be formed by intercalary growth and differentiation and suggested as hitherto unknown further type of morphological adaptation to dispersal by water. In this paper, the genus Fuscosporella is also taxonomically revised. The taxonomic confusion originated from the confusion of two species in the original description of F. pyriformis, the type species of the genus. A new generic circumscription for Fuscosporella is provided, with correct illustration of F. pyriformis after careful examination of the protologue and holotype. The conidial dimensions of the five Fuscosporella species are compared and brief comments to each species are given according to the emended generic concepts. As evident from morphological and phylogenetic studies, there are currently four accepted species in Fuscosporella. Fuscosporella atrobrunnea is synonymized with F. xingyiensis, whereas Parafuscosporella lignicola is renamed as Vanakripa lignicola comb. nov.