ABSTRACT Little is known of the mycobiota present in ready-to-eat peanuts consumed in Southern Africa. Knowledge of the mycobiota and aflatoxigenic species can elucidate potential health risks associated with consumption of ready-to-eat peanuts sold by supermarkets and roadside vendors. We investigated the culturable mycobiota diversity in supermarket and roadside-vended peanuts as well as the presence

ABSTRACT Gymnosporangium is a group of plant fungal pathogens that cause rust diseases on many economically important fruit trees. Most Gymnosporangium are heteroecious and demicyclic, producing four morphologically diverse spore stages on two taxonomically unrelated host plants, the Cupressaceae and Rosaceae. The complex life cycle and heteroecism make it difficult to investigate the species within

ABSTRACT Dictyostelids are a monophyletic group of sorocarp-forming social amoebae in the major eukaryotic division Amoebozoa. Members of this taxon, which is made up of almost 200 described species, are common in terrestrial soils globally. Still, the alpha diversity is not well known in many areas, and new species are frequently recovered. The highest species richness is found in the tropics. Here

Neonectria ditissima and N. faginata are canker pathogens involved in an insect-fungus disease complex of American beech (Fagus grandifolia) in North America commonly known as beech bark disease (BBD). In Europe, both N. ditissima and N. coccinea are involved in BBD on European beech (Fagus sylvatica). Field observations across the range of BBD indicate ascospores to be the dominant spore type in the

Piptoporellus baudonii is proposed as a new combination for Laetiporus baudonii in the Polyporales (Basidiomycota) based on morphological and molecular features. This parasitic macrofungus attacks cashew trees, Eucalyptus, cassava, Tectona, and some indigenous trees in southern regions of Tanzania and poses a serious threat to agroforestry and livelihood conditions in the area. Phylogenetic trees were

The genus Gliocephalotrichum (Nectriaceae), originally described as a soil-borne fungus, has been associated with postharvest diseases, especially of tropical fruits. Taxonomic studies using both morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses have contributed to recognition of novel species in several countries. However, in Brazil, only three isolates of Gliocephalotrichum have been collected from

Four ergot species (Claviceps ripicola, C. quebecensis, C. perihumidiphila, and C. occidentalis) were recognized based on analyses of DNA sequences from multiple loci, including two housekeeping genes, RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2), and translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1-α), and a single-copy ergot alkaloid synthesis gene (easE) encoding chanoclavine I synthase oxidoreductase

In tropical and subtropical rainforests, vegetative fungal rhizomorphs from the Marasmiineae are routinely used as construction material in bird nests. Because rhizomorphs seldom produce mushrooms within nests, the fungal species involved remain largely unknown. In turn, this limitation has prevented us from resolving broader questions such as whether specific fungal species are selected by birds for

Many animals have been shown to eat fungi and most truffle-like fungi depend on animals for spore dispersal via mycophagy. Although these interactions are widespread, they are understudied in many habitats. In this study, we show that bonobos (Pan paniscus) forage and feed on an undescribed truffle species in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Based on morphological and molecular

This paper describes the taxonomy, developmental morphology, and phylogeny of Periplasma isogametum, a new monotypic member of the Leptomitales (Oomycota). In phylogenetic trees inferred from concatenated and separate nuc 18S rDNA (18S) and nuc 28S rDNA (28S) sequences, P. isogametum forms a well-supported clade related to but distinct from Apodachlya, a member of the Leptomitales. The organism is

This paper describes the taxonomy, developmental morphology, and phylogeny of Periplasma isogametum, a new monotypic member of the Leptomitales (Oomycota). In phylogenetic trees inferred from concatenated and separate nuc 18S rDNA (18S) and nuc 28S rDNA (28S) sequences, P. isogametum forms a well-supported clade related to but distinct from Apodachlya, a member of the Leptomitales. The organism is

Paper-based works of art and documents of cultural importance kept in museums and libraries can show notorious signs of deterioration, including foxing stains, caused by fungal colonization. Some of the main chromophore agents of fungal origin that deteriorate paper and therefore affect paper cultural heritage both aesthetically and structurally are the group of pigments called melanins. Thus, knowledge

Aspergillus flavus contaminates agricultural products worldwide with carcinogenic aflatoxins that pose a serious health risk to humans and animals. The fungus survives adverse environmental conditions through production of sclerotia. When fertilized by a compatible conidium of an opposite mating type, a sclerotium transforms into a stroma within which ascocarps, asci, and ascospores are formed. However

Aspergillus flavus contaminates agricultural products worldwide with carcinogenic aflatoxins that pose a serious health risk to humans and animals. The fungus survives adverse environmental conditions through production of sclerotia. When fertilized by a compatible conidium of an opposite mating type, a sclerotium transforms into a stroma within which ascocarps, asci, and ascospores are formed. However

Wheat yellow/stripe rust pathogen Puccinia striiformis is highly diverse and recombinant in the north of Pakistan in the Himalayan region. However, little is known about the role of this diversity in disease epidemics in areas where wheat yellow rust is an important disease in both irrigated and rain-fed wheat (i.e., in the plains of Pakistan). We explored the population diversity in P. striiformis

Currently, agroindustrial wastes are little used for generating value-added products; hence, their use of these waste to produce enzymatic cocktails for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fermentable sugars is a very interesting alternative in the second-generation bioethanol process. The Ascomycota fungus Aspergillus niger LBM 134 produces hydrolytic enzymes in large proportions. In this

Following a late fall wildfire in 2016 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, pyrophilous fungi in burn zones were documented over a 2-y period with respect to burn severity and phenology. Nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 = ITS) barcodes were obtained to confirm morphological evaluations. Forty-one taxa of Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were identified from burn sites and categorized

Macrophomina phaseolina, causative agent of the charcoal rot disease, impacts over 500 plant species, causing devastating crop failures worldwide. Due to the lack of effective management approach, charcoal rot can result in serious loss, especially during years with hot and dry summers. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of using the RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism to suppress the growth

Poroid Hymenochaetaceae associated with wood rots of trees in three timber-harvesting compartments of the Garden Route National Park (GRNP), South Africa, were investigated using multilocus phylogenetic analyses and morphology of the basidiomes. Results revealed the presence of 10 species belonging to five genera. Six of the species are known, but four are described as new. The known species include

Nivicolous myxomycetes are a group of amoebozoan protists dependent on long-lasting snow cover worldwide. Recent fine-scale analysis of species diversity from the austral Andes revealed high intraspecific variability of most taxa, suggesting independent evolutionary processes and significant differences in species compositions between the Northern (NH) and Southern (SH) Hemispheres. The present study

Oman is a desert country in the south of the Middle East. Springs and other water sources that harbor aquatic organisms can be separated by hundreds of kilometers. In Oct 2019, we isolated four freshwater aquatic fungi (Chytridiomycota) from benthic detritus baited with pine pollen on a general nutrient medium near Salalah, Oman. Database queries of nuc 28S rRNA (28S) and internal transcribed spacer

Here, we report on the morphological, molecular, and chemical characterization of a novel Fusarium species recovered from the roots and rhizosphere of Macrochloa tenacissima (halfa, esparto, or needle grass) in central Tunisia. Formally described here as F. spartum, this species is a member of the Fusarium redolens species complex but differs from the other two species within the complex, F. redolens

Truffles with distinct morphological and anatomical features were collected during a study of hypogeous fungi of semiarid sandy grasslands of the Great Hungarian Plain in Hungary, representing the westernmost localities of the Eurasian steppe belt. None of the ascomata were collected near ectomycorrhizal plant species, and none were identified as ectomycorrhizal during previous surveys in the collection

(2020). Glomus ibericum, Septoglomus mediterraneum, and Funneliformis pilosus, three new species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Mycologia: Vol. 112, No. 4, pp. 819-828.

(2020). Cladosterigma: an enigmatic fungus, previously considered a basidiomycete, now revealed as an ascomycete member of the Gomphillaceae. Mycologia: Vol. 112, No. 4, pp. 829-846.

(2020). Correction. Mycologia: Vol. 112, No. 4, pp. 856-856.

(2020). Correction. Mycologia: Vol. 112, No. 4, pp. 857-857.

(2020). Correction. Mycologia. Ahead of Print.

Truffles in the genus Tuber are hypogeus fungi that have a worldwide distribution. Despite this, knowledge about their diversity in the Middle East is very limited. In recent years, large quantities of truffles have been imported from Iran for being sold in Italy. While analyzing certain commercial batches of T. aestivum from Iran, we found some ascomata that resembled T. excavatum but had macro- and

ABSTRACT The complex hymenophore configuration of the oak mazegill (Daedalea quercina, Polyporales) is rarely quantified, although quantifications are important analytical tools to assess form and growth. We quantified the hymenophore configuration of the oak mazegill by manual counting of tubes and tubular branches and ends. Complementary measurements were made with the software AngioTool. We found

This paper describes and illustrates a new species of Laboulbeniales (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniomycetes) recovered from Mastoptera guimaraesi bat flies (Diptera, Streblidae) in Ecuador and Panama. Bat fly–associated Laboulbeniales are still unexplored in the Neotropics, with only four described species of Gloeandromyces and one species of Nycteromyces known. Morphological characteristics and phylogenetic

Environmentally damaging invasive plants can also serve as reservoir hosts for agricultural pathogens. Microstegium vimineum is an invasive C4 annual grass that is present throughout the midwestern and eastern United States. It can reach high densities in disturbed areas such as crop-forest interfaces, which creates the potential for pathogen spillover from M. vimineum to agricultural crops and native

Rodents are the most widespread and diverse order of vertebrate mycophagists and are key to the dispersal of mycorrhizal fungi. Rodents consume and subsequently disperse fungi through their feces on every continent except Antarctica. This study examines the fungal taxa consumed by the Hastings River mouse (Pseudomys oralis), an endangered Australian endemic rodent from the family Muridae. We analyzed

Nivicolous myxomycetes are a group of amoebozoan protists dependent on long-lasting snow cover worldwide. Recent fine-scale analysis of species diversity from the austral Andes revealed high intraspecific variability of most taxa, suggesting independent evolutionary processes and significant differences in species compositions between the Northern (NH) and Southern (SH) Hemispheres. The present study

During surveys of insect-associated mycobiomes in Norway, Poland, and Russia, isolates with affinity to Graphilbum (Ophiostomatales, Ascomycota) were recovered. In this study, eight known Graphilbum species as well as the newly collected isolates were compared based on morphology and DNA sequence data for four gene regions. The results revealed seven new species, described here as G. acuminatum, G

Ambrosia beetles farm fungal cultivars (ambrosia fungi) and carry propagules of the fungal mutualists in storage organs called mycangia, which occur in various body parts and vary greatly in size and complexity. The evolution of ambrosia fungi is closely tied to the evolution and development of the mycangia that carry them. The understudied ambrosia beetle tribe Xyloterini included lineages with uncharacterized

The genus Ophiocordyceps contains the most diverse assemblage of fungi that attack ants worldwide and are remarkably well adapted to the specific ecologies of their hosts. Desmidiospora myrmecophila Thaxt. is closely related to other ant-pathogenic species within Ophiocordyceps, possibly specific to queens, but the sheer infrequency of encounters and previously unsuccessful attempts to culture this

Kuehneola japonica and K. warburgiana are the only species of genus Kuehneola that parasitize plants belonging to genus Rosa (Rosaceae). Systematic revision of the genus Phragmidium and related genera by molecular phylogenetic analyses using nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer (5.8S-ITS2 = ITS2) and nuc rDNA 28S (28S) sequences indicated that K. japonica and K. warburgiana belong to a group of Phragmidium

ABSTRACT Pecan scab, caused by Venturia effusa, is the most prevalent disease of pecan in the southeastern United States. Recent characterization of the mating type (MAT) distribution of V. effusa revealed that the MAT idiomorphs are in equilibrium at various spatial scales, indicative of regular sexual recombination. However, the occurrence of the sexual stage of V. effusa has never been observed

(2020). Jos Wessels, 30 May 1934–30 October 2019. Mycologia: Vol. 112, No. 4, pp. 852-855.

(2020). Donald John Stoddart Barr, 18 September 1937–20 November 2018. Mycologia: Vol. 112, No. 4, pp. 847-851.

ABSTRACT Pecan scab, caused by Venturia effusa, is the most prevalent disease of pecan in the southeastern United States. Recent characterization of the mating type (MAT) distribution of V. effusa revealed that the MAT idiomorphs are in equilibrium at various spatial scales, indicative of regular sexual recombination. However, the occurrence of the sexual stage of V. effusa has never been observed

(2020). Jos Wessels, 30 May 1934–30 October 2019. Mycologia. Ahead of Print.

Kuehneola japonica and K. warburgiana are the only species of genus Kuehneola that parasitize plants belonging to genus Rosa (Rosaceae). Systematic revision of the genus Phragmidium and related genera by molecular phylogenetic analyses using nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer (5.8S-ITS2 = ITS2) and nuc rDNA 28S (28S) sequences indicated that K. japonica and K. warburgiana belong to a group of Phragmidium

(2020). Donald John Stoddart Barr, 18 September 1937–20 November 2018. Mycologia. Ahead of Print.

ABSTRACT Many efforts have been made to select and isolate naturally occurring animal-friendly Epichloë strains for later reinfection into elite cultivars. Often this process involves large-scale screening of Epichloë-infected wild grass populations where strains are characterized and alkaloids measured. Here, we describe for the first time the use of genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) on a collection

The fungal genus Massospora (Zoopagomycota: Entomophthorales) includes more than a dozen obligate, sexually transmissible pathogenic species that infect cicadas (Hemiptera) worldwide. At least two species are known to produce psychoactive compounds during infection, which has garnered considerable interest for this enigmatic genus. As with many Entomophthorales, the evolutionary relationships and host

Fomitiporia is a genus of wood-inhabiting Hymenochaetaceae (Agaricomycetes) that includes pathogens and decomposers occurring on a wide array of plant substrates. Some species decay culms of woody bamboos, a poorly known biotic interaction. Four bambusicolous species of Fomitiporia are currently known. However, no studies concerning their phylogenetic relationships have been performed. In order to

A fungus causing false smut in the flowers of Murdannia keisak (Commelinaceae, Commelinales, Monocots) in Japan was morphologically identical to Ustilago aneilematis. The fungus infected ovaries of most flowers of host plants. Infected flowers were filled with yellow to orange thick-walled conidia that became olivaceous green at maturity. However, multilocus phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences (18S

ABSTRACT Many efforts have been made to select and isolate naturally occurring animal-friendly Epichloë strains for later reinfection into elite cultivars. Often this process involves large-scale screening of Epichloë-infected wild grass populations where strains are characterized and alkaloids measured. Here, we describe for the first time the use of genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) on a collection

The fungal genus Massospora (Zoopagomycota: Entomophthorales) includes more than a dozen obligate, sexually transmissible pathogenic species that infect cicadas (Hemiptera) worldwide. At least two species are known to produce psychoactive compounds during infection, which has garnered considerable interest for this enigmatic genus. As with many Entomophthorales, the evolutionary relationships and host

A fungus causing false smut in the flowers of Murdannia keisak (Commelinaceae, Commelinales, Monocots) in Japan was morphologically identical to Ustilago aneilematis. The fungus infected ovaries of most flowers of host plants. Infected flowers were filled with yellow to orange thick-walled conidia that became olivaceous green at maturity. However, multilocus phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences (18S

Fomitiporia is a genus of wood-inhabiting Hymenochaetaceae (Agaricomycetes) that includes pathogens and decomposers occurring on a wide array of plant substrates. Some species decay culms of woody bamboos, a poorly known biotic interaction. Four bambusicolous species of Fomitiporia are currently known. However, no studies concerning their phylogenetic relationships have been performed. In order to

(2020). Correction. Mycologia: Vol. 112, No. 3, pp. 661-661.

Rust disease was observed on populations of Suaeda californica near Morro Bay, California. The pathogen was identified as a species of Uromyces based on teliospore and urediniospore morphology and nuc 28S rDNA sequence analysis. The isolate was compared with previously described species of Uromyces that infect members of Chenopodiaceae, prompting a taxonomic reevaluation of Uromyces species on Suaeda

The phylogeny and taxonomy of powdery mildew on Viburnum species is evaluated and discussed. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses revealed two new species and demonstrated that Erysiphe hedwigii and E. viburni should be reduced to synonymy and are referred to herein as E. viburni. The two new species, E. viburniphila and E. pseudoviburni, previously hidden under E. viburni (including E. hedwigii)

A new species of Volvariella, collected from Aydın Province on the coast of the Aegean Sea in southwestern Turkey, is described as Volvariella turcica, sp. nov., based on morphology and multigene molecular analysis of three nuc rDNA gene regions: internal transcribed spacer ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS), 28S, and 18S. The new species was found in forests dominated by Pinus brutia and Quercus coccifera and mainly

Colletotrichum lupini is the causal agent of lupin (Lupinus albus L.) anthracnose, a destructive seed-borne disease affecting stems and pods. Despite that several biological studies have been carried out on this pathogen, the production of secondary metabolites has not yet been investigated. Thus, a strain of C. lupini, obtained from symptomatic stems of L. albus, has been grown in vitro to evaluate

We evaluated sporangium and zoospore production by three isolates of Phytophthora ramorum on Rhododendron ‘Cunningham’s White’ leaves under light and dark conditions at both variable and constant (14 C) temperature. P. ramorum–infected leaves were detached and placed in funnels inside of a 62-L plastic storage container located in a growth chamber. Cool mist was introduced to the container to create

Cortinarius is a species-rich ectomycorrhizal genus containing taxa that exhibit agaricoid or sequestrate basidiome morphologies. In New Zealand, one of the most recognizable and common Cortinarius species is the purple sequestrate fungus, C. porphyroideus. We used genome skimming of the almost 100-y-old type specimen from C. porphyroideus to obtain the nuc rDNA internal transcribed spacer region ITS1-5