Phylogenetic insights resolve Dacampiaceae(Pleosporales)as polyphyletic:Didymocyrtis(Pleosporales,Phaeosphaeriaceae)with Phoma-like anamorphs resurrected and segregated from Polycoccum(Trypetheliales,Polycoccaceae fam.nov.)

A phylogenetic analysis of nuLSU and ITS sequences representing genera previously included in Dacampiaceae indicates that the family is strongly polyphyletic and that the type species of Dacampia is placed in Pleosporales.The genus Munkovalsaria s.str.is placed in Didymosphaeriaceae(Pleosporales).Polycoccum s.str.and two species of Clypeococcum are shown to form a new lineage sister to the Trypetheliaceae in Trypetheliales and described here as Polycoccaceae.Other members of Polycoccum s.lat.are included in the Pleosporales and are closely related to lichenicolous Phoma-like species of the family Phaeosphaeriaceae.The genus Didymocyrtis is resurrected for these species and for lichenicolous species previously assigned to Diederichia,Diederichomyces,Leptosphaeria and Phoma.The genera Diederichia and Diederichomyces are synonymized with Didymocyrtis.The new combinations Didymocyrtis bryonthae,D.cladoniicola,D.foliaceiphila,D.infestans,D.kaernefeltii,D.melanelixiae,D.pseudeverniae,D.ramalinae,D.slaptoniensis and D.xanthomendozae are made,and the new name D.epiphyscia is introduced for Phoma physciicola.Some anamorph-teleomorph relationships are resolved,such as Didymocyrtis ramalinae–Phoma ficuzzae and Didymocyrtis consimilis–Phoma caloplacae,the phylogenetic results being supported by single ascospore cultures that lead to the asexual stage producing pycnidia and conidia in culture.Speciation by host switching is assumed to be important in the genus Didymocyrtis.An identification key to Didymocyrtis species is provided.

Can we use environmental DNA as holotypes?

The advantages and disadvantages of giving a valid name to a sequence of DNA detected from environmental specimens is presently a hot debate amongst the mycological community.The idea of using intracellular DNA("mgDNA")from environmental samples as holotypes seems at face value,to be a good idea,considering the expansion of knowledge among these‘dark taxa’or‘dark matter fungi’that it could provide(i.e.sequence based taxa without physical specimens and formal nomenclature).However,the limitations of using mgDNA as holotypes needs careful thought,i.e.can we use a short mgDNA fragment,which may contain a small amount of genetic information,to allow discrimination between species?What is the point and are the potential problems of giving valid scientific names to mgDNA?Numerous mycologists and taxonomists,who have many years of experience working on the taxonomy and phylogeny of different groups of fungi,are concerned about the consequences of providing valid names to mgDNA.There has been much debate,through several publications on the considerable problems of using mgDNA as holotypes.The proponents have tried to debate the virtues of using mgDNA as holotypes.Those against have shown that identification to species using mgDNA does not work in many fungal groups,while those for have shown cases where species can be identified with mgDNA.Different disciplines have different reasons and opinions for using mgDNA as holotypes,however even groups of the same disciplines have dissimilar ideas.In this paper we explore the use of mgDNA as holotypes.We provide evidences and opinions as to the use of mgDNA as holotypes from our own experiences.In no way do we attempt to degrade the study of DNA from environmental samples and the expansion of knowledge in to the dark taxa,but relate the issues to fungal taxonomy.In fact we show the value of using sequence data from these approaches,in dealing with the discovery of already named taxa,taxa numbers and ecological roles.We discuss the advantages and the pitfalls of using mgDNA from environmental samples as holotypes.The impacts of expanding the nomenclatural concept to allow using mgDNA from environmental samples as holotypes are also discussed.We provide evidence from case studies on Botryosphaeria,Colletotrichum,Penicillium and Xylaria.The case studies show that we cannot use mgDNA due to their short fragments and the fact that most ITS sequence data presently result from environmental sequencing.We conclude from the evidence that it is highly undesirable to use mgDNA as holotypes in naming fungal species.If this approach adopted,it would result in numerous problems where species identification cannot be confirmed due to limited sequence data available for the holotypes.We also propose an alternative DNA-based system for naming DNA based species which would provide considerably less problems and should be adopted.

Dismantling Melaspileaceae:a first phylogenetic study of Buelliella,Hemigrapha,Karschia,Labrocarpon and Melaspilea

Melaspileaceae is a heterogeneous group of Ascomycota including lichenized,lichenicolous and saprobic fungi.A first phylogenetic study of Melaspileaceae is presented and is based on mtSSU and nuLSU sequence data.We obtained 49 new sequences for 28 specimens representing 15 species.The genera Buelliella,Hemigrapha,Karschia,Labrocarpon and Melaspilea s.str.are included in a molecular phylogeny for the first time.Melaspileaceae is recovered as polyphyletic,with members placed in two main lineages of Dothideomycetes.Melaspilea s.str.is included in Eremithallales.Eremithallaceae is placed in synonymy with Melaspileaceae.The genus Encephalographa is placed in Melaspileaceae.The genera Buelliella,Karschia,Labrocarpon and several members of Melaspilea are demonstrated to belong to Asterinales,while Hemigrapha is confirmed in this order.The genera Melaspileella,Melaspileopsis,Stictographa are reinstated for former Melaspilea species now placed in Asterinales.Karschia cezannei is described as new,and the new combinations Melaspilea costaricensis,M.enteroleuca,M.urceolata,Melaspileella proximella and Melaspileopsis diplasiospora are made.Melaspileaceae as newly defined includes lichenized and saprobic species.The lichenicolous and saprobic life styles form different intermixed lineages in Asterinales that do not include lichenized taxa.The phylogenetic data provide a first framework for dismantling further the genus Melaspilea for which most of the species are expected to belong to Asterinales.

The Faces of Fungi database:fungal names linked with morphology,phylogeny and human impacts

Taxonomic names are key links between various databases that store information on different organisms.Several global fungal nomenclural and taxonomic databases(notably Index Fungorum,Species Fungorum and MycoBank)can be sourced to find taxonomic details about fungi,while DNA sequence data can be sourced from NCBI,EBI and UNITE databases.Although the sequence data may be linked to a name,the quality of the metadata is variable and generally there is no corresponding link to images,descriptions or herbarium material.There is generally no way to establish the accuracy of the names in these genomic databases,other than whether the submission is from a reputable source.To tackle this problem,a new database(FacesofFungi),accessible at www.facesoffungi.org(FoF)has been established.This fungal database allows deposition of taxonomic data,phenotypic details and other useful data,which will enhance our current taxonomic understanding and ultimately enable mycologists to gain better and updated insights into the current fungal classification system.In addition,the database will also allow access to comprehensive metadata including descriptions of voucher and type specimens.This database is user-friendly,providing links and easy access between taxonomic ranks,with the classification system based primarily on molecular data(from the literature and via updated web-based phylogenetic trees),and to a lesser extent on morphological data when molecular data are unavailable.In FoF species are not only linked to the closest phylogenetic representatives,but also relevant data is provided,wherever available,on various applied aspects,such as ecological,industrial,quarantine and chemical uses.The data include the three main fungal groups(Ascomycota,Basidiomycota,Basal fungi)and fungus-like organisms.The FoF webpage is an output funded by the Mushroom Research Foundation which is an NGO with seven directors with mycological expertise.The webpage has 76 curators,and with the help of these specialists,FoF will provide an updated natural classification of the fungi,with illustrated accounts of species linked to molecular data.The present paper introduces the FoF database to the scientific community and briefly reviews some of the problems associated with classification and identification of the main fungal groups.The structure and use of the database is then explained.We would like to invite all mycologists to contribute to these web pages.

Fungal diversity notes 929-1035:taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions on genera and species of fungi

This article is the ninth in the series of Fungal Diversity Notes,where 107 taxa distributed in three phyla,nine classes,31 orders and 57 families are described and illustrated.Taxa described in the present study include 12 new genera,74 new species,three new combinations,two reference specimens,a re-circumscription of the epitype,and 15 records of sexualasexual morph connections,new hosts and new geographical distributions.Twelve new genera comprise Brunneofusispora,Brunneomurispora,Liua,Lonicericola,Neoeutypella,Paratrimmatostroma,Parazalerion,Proliferophorum,Pseudoastrosphaeriellopsis,Septomelanconiella,Velebitea and Vicosamyces.Seventy-four new species are Agaricus memnonius,A.langensis,Aleurodiscus patagonicus,Amanita flavoalba,A.subtropicana,Amphisphaeria mangrovei,Baorangia major,Bartalinia kunmingensis,Brunneofusispora sinensis,Brunneomurispora lonicerae,Capronia camelliaeyunnanensis,Clavulina thindii,Coniochaeta simbalensis,Conlarium thailandense,Coprinus trigonosporus,Liua muriformis,Cyphellophora filicis,Cytospora ulmicola,Dacrymyces invisibilis,Dictyocheirospora metroxylonis,Distoseptispora thysanolaenae,Emericellopsis koreana,Galiicola baoshanensis,Hygrocybe lucida,Hypoxylon teeravasati,Hyweljonesia indica,Keissleriella caraganae,Lactarius olivaceopallidus,Lactifluus midnapurensis,Lembosia brigadeirensis,Leptosphaeria urticae,Lonicericola hyaloseptispora,Lophiotrema mucilaginosis,Marasmiellus bicoloripes,Marasmius indojasminodorus,Micropeltis phetchaburiensis,Mucor orantomantidis,Murilentithecium lonicerae,Neobambusicola brunnea,Neoeutypella baoshanensis,Neoroussoella heveae,Neosetophoma lonicerae,Ophiobolus malleolus,Parabambusicola thysanolaenae,Paratrimmatostroma kunmingensis,Parazalerion indica,Penicillium dokdoense,Peroneutypa mangrovei,Phaeosphaeria cycadis,Phanerochaete australosanguinea,Plectosphaerella kunmingensis,Plenodomus artemisiae,P.lijiangensis,Proliferophorum thailandicum,Pseudoastrosphaeriellopsis kaveriana,Pseudohelicomyces menglunicus,Pseudoplagiostoma mangiferae,Robillarda mangiferae,Roussoella elaeicola,Russula choptae,R.uttarakhandia,Septomelanconiella thailandica,Spencermartinsia acericola,Sphaerellopsis isthmospora,Thozetella lithocarpi,Trechispora echinospora,Tremellochaete atlantica,Trichoderma koreanum,T.pinicola,T.rugulosum,Velebitea chrysotexta,Vicosamyces venturisporus,Wojnowiciella kunmingensis and Zopfiella indica.Three new combinations are Baorangia rufomaculata,Lanmaoa pallidorosea and Wojnowiciella rosicola.The reference specimens of Canalisporium kenyense and Tamsiniella labiosa are designated.The epitype of Sarcopeziza sicula is re-circumscribed based on cyto-and histochemical analyses.The sexual-asexual morph connection of Plenodomus sinensis is reported from ferns and Cirsium for the first time.In addition,the new host records and country records are Amanita altipes,A.melleialba,Amarenomyces dactylidis,Chaetosphaeria panamensis,Coniella vitis,Coprinopsis kubickae,Dothiorella sarmentorum,Leptobacillium leptobactrum var.calidus,Muyocopron lithocarpi,Neoroussoella solani,Periconia cortaderiae,Phragmocamarosporium hederae,Sphaerellopsis paraphysata and Sphaeropsis eucalypticola.

Fungal diversity notes 253-366:taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions to fungal taxa

Notes on 113 fungal taxa are compiled in this paper,including 11 new genera,89 new species,one new subspecies,three new combinations and seven reference specimens.Awide geographic and taxonomic range of fungal taxa are detailed.In the Ascomycota the new genera Angustospora(Testudinaceae),Camporesia(Xylariaceae),Clematidis,Crassiparies(Pleosporales genera incertae sedis),Farasanispora,Longiostiolum(Pleosporales genera incertae sedis),Multilocularia(Parabambusicolaceae),Neophaeocryptopus(Dothideaceae),Parameliola(Pleosporales genera incertae sedis),and Towyspora(Lentitheciaceae)are introduced.Newly introduced species are Angustospora nilensis,Aniptodera aquibella,Annulohypoxylon albidiscum,Astrocystis thailandica,Camporesia sambuci,Clematidis italica,Colletotrichum menispermi,C.quinquefoliae,Comoclathris pimpinellae,Crassiparies quadrisporus,Cytospora salicicola,Diatrype thailandica,Dothiorella rhamni,Durotheca macrostroma,Farasanispora avicenniae,Halorosellinia rhizophorae,Humicola koreana,Hypoxylon lilloi,Kirschsteiniothelia tectonae,Lindgomyces okinawaensis,Longiostiolum tectonae,Lophiostoma pseudoarmatisporum,Moelleriella phukhiaoensis,M.pongdueatensis,Mucoharknessia anthoxanthi,Multilocularia bambusae,Multiseptospora thysanolaenae,Neophaeocryptopus cytisi,Ocellularia arachchigei,O.ratnapurensis,Ochronectria thailandica,Ophiocordyceps karstii,Parameliola acaciae,P.dimocarpi,Parastagonospora cumpignensis,Pseudodidymosphaeria phlei,Polyplosphaeria thailandica,Pseudolachnella brevifusiformis,Psiloglonium macrosporum,Rhabdodiscus albodenticulatus,Rosellinia chiangmaiensis,Saccothecium rubi,Seimatosporium pseudocornii,S.pseudorosae,Sigarispora ononidis and Towyspora aestuari.New combinations are provided for Eutiarosporella dactylidis(sexual morph described and illus trated)and Pseudocamarosporium pini.Descriptions,illustrations and/or reference specimens are designated for Aposphaeria corallinolutea,Cryptovalsa ampelina,Dothiorella vidmadera,Ophiocordyceps formosana,Petrakia echinata,Phragmoporthe conformis and Pseudocamarosporium pini.The new species of Basidiomycota are Agaricus coccyginus,A.luteofibrillosus,Amanita atrobrunnea,A.digitosa,A.gleocystidiosa,A.pyriformis,A.strobilipes,Bondarzewia tibetica,Cortinarius albosericeus,C.badioflavidus,C.dentigratus,C.duboisensis,C.fragrantissimus,C.roseobasilis,C.vinaceobrunneus,C.vinaceogrisescens,C.wahkiacus,Cyanoboletus hymenoglutinosus,Fomitiporia atlantica,F.subtilissima,Ganoderma wuzhishanensis,Inonotus shoreicola,Lactifluus armeniacus,L.ramipilosus,Leccinum indoaurantiacum,Musumecia alpina,M.sardoa,Russula amethystina subp.tengii and R.wangii are introduced.Descriptions,illustrations,notes and/or reference specimens are designated for Clarkeinda trachodes,Dentocorticium ussuricum,Galzinia longibasidia,Lentinus stuppeus and Leptocorticium tenellum.The other new genera,species new combinations are Anaeromyces robustus,Neocallimastix californiae and Piromyces finnis from Neocallimastigomycota,Phytophthora estuarina,P.rhizophorae,Salispina,S.intermedia,S.lobata and S.spinosa from Oomycota,and Absidia stercoraria,Gongronella orasabula,Mortierella calciphila,Mucor caatinguensis,M.koreanus,M.merdicola and Rhizopus koreanus in Zygomycota.