Fungal diversity notes 1611-1716: taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions on fungal genera and species emphasis in south China

This article is the 15th contribution in the Fungal Diversity Notes series,wherein 115 taxa from three phyla,nine classes,28 orders,48 families,and 64 genera are treated.Fungal taxa described and illustrated in the present study include a new family,five new genera,61 new species,five new combinations,one synonym,one new variety and 31 records on new hosts or new geographical distributions.Ageratinicolaceae fam.nov.is introduced and accommodated in Pleosporales.The new genera introduced in this study are Ageratinicola,Kevinia,Pseudomultiseptospora(Parabambusicolaceae),Marasmiellomycena,and Vizzinia(Porotheleaceae).Newly described species are Abrothallus altoandinus,Ageratinicola kunmingensis,Allocryptovalsa aceris,Allophoma yuccae,Apiospora cannae,A.elliptica,A.pallidesporae,Boeremia wisteriae,Calycina papaeana,Clypeo-coccum lichenostigmoides,Coniochaeta riskali-shoyakubovii,Cryphonectria kunmingensis,Diaporthe angustiapiculata,D.campylandrae,D.longipapillata,Diatrypella guangdongense,Dothiorella franceschinii,Endocalyx phoenicis,Epicoc-cum terminosporum,Fulvifomes karaiensis,F.pannaensis,Ganoderma ghatensis,Hysterobrevium baoshanense,Inocybe avellaneorosea,I.lucida,Jahnula oblonga,Kevinia lignicola,Kirschsteiniothelia guangdongensis,Laboulbenia caprina,L.clavulata,L.cobiae,L.cosmodisci,L.nilotica,L.omalii,L.robusta,L.similis,L.stigmatophora,Laccaria rubriporus,Lasiodiplodia morindae,Lyophyllum agnijum,Marasmiellomycena pseudoomphaliiformis,Melomastia beihaiensis,Nemania guangdongensis,Nigrograna thailandica,Nigrospora ficuum,Oxydothis chinensis,O.yunnanensis,Petriella thailandica,Phaeoacremonium chinensis,Phialocephala chinensis,Phytophthora debattistii,Polyplosphaeria nigrospora,Pronectria loweniae,Seriascoma acutispora,Setoseptoria bambusae,Stictis anomianthi,Tarzetta tibetensis,Tarzetta urceolata,Tetraploa obpyriformis,Trichoglossum beninense,and Tricoderma pyrrosiae.We provide an emendation for Urnula ailaoshanensis Agaricus duplocingulatoides var.brevisporus introduced as a new variety based on morphology and phylogeny.

Diversity of foliar endophytes in wind-fallen Picea abies trees

The unmanaged Norway spruce montane forests in the Bohemian Forest National Park(Czech Republic)suffered from repeated large-scale bark beetle outbreaks in last decade.In this study,the diversity of culturable foliar endophyte microfungi in needles originating from eleven recently wind-fallen trees in this area was surveyed.Our aims were to describe their diversity and to determine the relative host and organ specificities of isolated endophyte species to estimate the species pool and abundance of foliar endophytes before the forest degradation.Microfungi were isolated from surface-sterilized needles,and the outgrowing strains were identified based on morphological and molecular characteristics(analyses of ITS1,ITS2 and partial 28S rDNA).Fungal communities in the needles were diverse,with ascomycetes(mostly anamorphs of Helotiales)dominating basidiomycetes.The most frequent species(Phacidiopycnis sp.,Cistella acuum,Sirococcus sp.and two species of Chalara)did not correspond with those recorded in previous studies of Picea spp.For example,the widely distributed Lophodermium piceae was rarely recorded in this study.This pattern may be caused by different methods of sterilization and cultivation or by physiological characteristics of the needles,or it may reflect the species distribution in the studied area.Members of the Helotiales,along with sequences from GenBank,showed substantial overlap in host affinities,most prominently between Pinus and Picea,and also among species from distant plant lineages.

New species in Aspergillus section Fumigati from reclamation sites in Wyoming (U.S.A.) and revision of A. viridinutans complex

The Aspergillus viridinutans complex includes morphologically similar,soil-inhabiting species.Although its species boundaries have not been fully defined,many isolates from the complex have been isolated as opportunistic human and animal pathogens.In the present study,these species were dominant in spoil sites subjected to various types of reclamation management after coal mining.These species were characterised using two different PCR-fingerprinting methods,sequence data from the β-tubulin(benA)and calmodulin(caM)genes,macro-and micromorphology(optical and scanning electron microscopy),maximum growth temperatures and mating experiments.In addition,RNA polymerase II gene(RPB2),actin(act1)and ITS sequences were deposited for the ex-type isolates of newly described species.The mating experiment results,phylogenetic analyses and ascospore morphology suggested the presence of five species in the A.viridinutans complex.Aspergillus aureolus(syn.Neosartorya aureola)was the only homothallic species.Three species,A.felis,A.udagawae(syn.N.udagawae)and A.wyomingensis sp.nov.,were heterothallic and their morphologically distinguishable teleomorph was induced by systematic mating experiments.Aspergillus viridinutans s.str.seems to be a very rare species and was represented only by the ex-type isolate in which the MAT1-1 locus was amplified.Aspegillus viridinutans and A.aureolus were typified in accordance with the rules of the new botanical code.Other species outside the A.viridinutans complex isolated from the reclamation sites were A.fumigatiaffinis and A.lentulus as well as two new sister species,A.brevistipitatus sp.nov.and A.conversis sp.nov.which were closely related each to other and to N.papuensis.Both new species are phylogenetically distant from all anamorphic species and resemble A.brevipes,A.duricaulis and A.unilateralis in micromorphology and are distinguishable from each other by the slower growth of A.conversis on all tested media.Interestingly,no isolate from the reclamation sites represented A.fumigatus s.str.which is usually reported as the dominant species from the section Fumigati in soil.

Acidiella bohemica gen. et sp. nov. and Acidomyces spp. (Teratosphaeriaceae), the indigenous inhabitants of extremely acidic soils in Europe

Extremely acidic soils(pH<3)harbour mycobiota that are different from less acidic habitats and are dominated by a small number of fungal species.During investigation of the mycobiota of highly acidic soils in the Czech Republic and Iceland,a group of melanised fungal isolates was obtained.Based on phenotype and nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences(ITS region,SSU,LSU),the isolates were accommodated by three phylogenetic lineages within the family Teratosphaeriaceae(Capnodiales,Dothideomycetes).The first lineage is here described as a new acidotolerant genus and species Acidiella bohemica gen.nov.et sp.nov.The most closely related species to this new clade are other extremotolerant fungi isolated from rocks and lichens collected in the Alps and Antarctica as well as leaf-spotting species and opportunistic human pathogens.The isolates belonging to the second and the third lineages were identified as the recently described acidophilic fungi Acidomyces acidophilus and Teratosphaeria acidotherma,respectively.The taxonomic status of both sister species is discussed and the latter species is ascribed here to the genus Acidomyces.

Resolving the taxonomy of emerging zoonotic pathogens in the Trichophyton benhamiae complex

Species of the Trichophyton benhamiae complex are predominantly zoophilic pathogens with a worldwide distribution.These pathogens have recently become important due to their epidemic spread in pets and pet owners.Considerable genetic and phenotypic variability has been revealed in these emerging pathogens,but the species limits and host spectra have not been clearly elucidated.In this study,we used an approach combining phylogenetic analysis based on four loci,population-genetic data,phenotypic and physiological analysis,mating type gene characterization and ecological data to resolve the taxonomy of these pathogens.This approach supported the inclusion of nine taxa in the complex,including three new species and one new variety.Trichophyton benhamiae var.luteum var.nov.(“yellow phenotype”strains)is currently a major cause of zoonotic tinea corporis and capitis in Europe(mostly transmitted from guinea pigs).The isolates of the“white phenotype”do not form a monophyletic group and are segregated into three taxa,T.benhamiae var.benhamiae(mostly North America;dogs),T.europaeum sp.nov.(mostly Europe;guinea pigs),and T.japonicum sp.nov.(predominant in East Asia but also found in Europe;rabbits and guinea pigs).The new species T.africanum sp.nov.is proposed for the“African”race of T.benhamiae.The introduction to new geographic areas and host jump followed by extinction of one mating type gene have played important roles in the evolution of these pathogens.Due to considerable phenotypic similarity of many dermatophytes and phenomena such as incomplete lineage sorting or occasional hybridization and introgression,we demonstrate the need to follow polyphasic approach in species delimitation.Neutrally evolving and noncoding DNA regions showed significantly higher discriminatory power compared to conventional protein-coding loci.Diagnostic options for species identification in practice based on molecular markers,phenotype and MALDI-TOF spectra are presented.A microsatellite typing scheme developed in this study is a powerful tool for the epidemiological surveillance of these emerging pathogens.