The genera of fungi-fixing the application of the type species of generic names-G 2: Allantophomopsis, Latorua, Macrodiplodiopsis, Macrohilum, Milospium, Protostegia, Pyricularia, Robillarda, Rotula, Septoriella, Torula, and Wojnowicia

The present paper represents the second contribution in the Genera of Fungi series, linking type species of fungal genera to their morphology and DNA sequence data, and where possible, ecology. This paper focuses on 12 genera of microfungi, 11 of which the type species are neo- or epitypified here: Allantophomopsis (A. cytisporea, Phacidiaceae, Phacidiales, Leotiomycetes), Latorua gen. nov. (Latorua caligans, Latoruaceae, Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes), Macrodiplodiopsis (M. desmazieri, Macrodiplodiopsidaceae, Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes), Macrohilum (M. eucalypti, Macrohilaceae, Diaporthales, Sordariomycetes), Milospium (M. graphideorum, incertae sedis, Pezizomycotina), Protostegia (P. eucleae, Mycosphaerellaceae, Capnodiales, Dothideomycetes), Pyricularia (P. grisea, Pyriculariaceae, Magnaporthales, Sordariomycetes), Robillarda (R. sessilis, Robillardaceae, Xylariales, Sordariomycetes), Rutola (R. graminis, incertae sedis, Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes), Septoriella (S. phragmitis, Phaeosphaeriaceae, Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes), Torula (T. herbarum, Torulaceae, Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes) and Wojnowicia (syn. of Septoriella, S. hirta, Phaeosphaeriaceae, Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes). Novel species include Latorua grootfonteinensis, Robillarda africana, R. roystoneae, R. terrae, Torula ficus, T. hollandica, and T. masonii spp. nov., and three new families: Macrodiplodiopsisceae, Macrohilaceae, and Robillardaceae. Authors interested in contributing accounts of individual genera to larger multi-authored papers to be published in IMA Fungus, should contact the associate editors listed for the major groups of fungi on the List of Protected Generic Names for FungiThe Austrian Science Fund (FWF; project P25870-B16)http://www.generaoffungi.orgam201

Enhancement of Teliospore Germination in Wheat- and Wild Grass-Infecting Species of Tilletia on Activated Charcoal Medium

The effect of activated charcoal as an amendment to water agar medium on teliospore germination was analyzed for two species of wheat-infecting bunts, Tilletia controversa and T. tritici, and two related wild-grass infecting species, T. bromi and T. fusca. Final percentages of teliospore germination, area under the germination progress curves (AUGPC), and a standardized AUGPC (SAUGPC) on carbon agar and water agar were compared among strains. Carbon agar (CA) significantly increased the final germination percentage of teliospores, AUGPC, and SAUGPC when compared with water agar (WA) for all taxa under study. Additionally, CA reduced significantly the incubation (i.e., lag) period when compared with WA for teliospores of T. bromi, T. controversa, and T. fusca. Bovine serum albumin and polyvinyl pyrrolidone were used as alternative chemical adsorbent amendments to WA to establish the role of activated charcoal in the medium. Only media amended with bovine serum albumin and activated charcoal improved the final germination percentage of all taxa. Polyvinyl pyrrolidone was not significantly better than water agar

First Report of Tilletia pulcherrima Bunt on Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in Texas

Switchgrass seed samples of ‘Blackwell’ and ‘Alamo’ from Bailey County, TX were examined for bunt fungi. Fourteen completely bunted seeds of ‘Blackwell’ and four of ‘Alamo’ were found. No partially bunted seeds were found. Bunted seeds were darker and occasionally slightly swollen relative to noninfected seeds. Teliospores were globose to subglobose, 21 to 28 × 20 to 27 μm in diameter, dark reddish brown to nearly black, with blunt warts 1 to 1.8 μm long, enveloped in a hyaline sheath, and often with a short apiculus. Sterile cells were globose to subglobose, 17.5 to 22 μm, with smooth, laminated walls as much as 2.6 μm thick, and often with a short apiculus. This bunt was identified as Tilletia pulcherrima Ellis & Galloway on the basis of host and spore morphology (2). The internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2, including the 5.8S rDNA, were sequenced from bunted ‘Blackwell’ seeds (GenBank Accession No. EU915293, WSP 71501). The sequence was distinct from all Tilletia sequences in GenBank, including Tilletia barclayana (Bref.) Sacc. & Syd. on Panicum obtusum Kunth (GenBank Accession No. AF 310169) (1). To our knowledge, this is the first report of T. pulcherrima from switchgrass in Texas. Plant pathologists and regulatory officials should be aware of the potential for misidentification of T. pulcherrima as T. indica Mitra, the Karnal bunt pathogen of wheat that has similar spores, occurs in Texas, and has quarantine status. References: (1) R. Durán and G. W. Fischer. The Genus Tilletia, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 1961. (2) K. Vánky, Mycotaxon 91:217, 2005

Genetic Variation Among Natural Populations of Tilletia controversa and T. bromi

Isolates of Tilletia controversa and T. bromi were sampled from wheat and two Bromus species hosts, respectively, in the Pacific Northwest, and genetic variation within and among populations was determined. Fifty-one random amplified polymorphic DNA markers from eleven primers were treated as phenotypic 1 and 0 character state data to estimate similarities and analyze molecular variance (AMOVA) among populations and as putative genetic loci to carry out analyses of gene diversity. Phenotypic analysis of T. controversa and T. bromi isolates revealed two distinct clusters that were 37% similar. The T. bromi cluster was subdivided further into two groups, corresponding to host, with 40% similarity. Cluster analysis based on allele frequencies produced similar results and also supported two T. bromi groups based on host. No evidence of natural hybridization and introgression was detected between the T. controversa and T. bromi populations. Both AMOVA and gene diversity analyses detected moderate levels of differentiation among T. controversa populations, whereas T. bromi populations were highly differentiated. The level of genetic differentiation observed between the T. bromi populations on different Bromus species hosts supports the hypothesis that a high degree of host specificity exists in the wild grass-infecting smuts. We speculate that the higher level of genetic differentiation among the T. bromi populations compared with the T. controversa populations on wheat may be due to selection by a more genetically diverse host population