Septoglomus nigrum, a new arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus from France, Germany and Switzerland

A new arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, Septoglomus nigrum, was found in several agricultural field sites in France, Germany and Switzerland, especially in extensively to intensively managed natural meadows and pastures and in extensively managed cropping systems. The fungus was propagated in trap pots and single species cultures on Lolium perenne, Trifolium pratense, Plantago lanceolata and Hieracium pilosella. It differentiates black spores with triple-layered walls, 95–175× 90–170 μm in diameter, formed singly in soils or rarely in roots. Phylogenetically, it forms a distinct clade close to S. altomontanum and S. africanum, which can morphologically be distinguished from spores of S. nigrum by the characteristics of the spore wall and by the color, size and shape of the subtending hyphae. An identification key is provided that differentiates all species so far described in Septoglomus

Funneliglomus, gen. nov., and Funneliglomus sanmartinensis, a new arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus from the Amazonia region in Peru

A new arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus was found in agricultural field sites in the Amazonia lowlands of the Department San Martin, Perú. It was found up to 858 m above sea level in two plantations of the inka nut (also called ‚sacha inchi', Plukenetia volubilis), which was grown in mixed cultures together with Musa sp., Zea mays, Phaseolus vulgaris and Carica papaya. The fungus was propagated in bait cultures in a greenhouse on Sorghum sp., Brachiaria sp., Medicago sativa and Plukenetia volubilis as host plants. The fungus differentiates orange brown to dark orange brown, triple-layered spores, 93-151× 90-148 µm in diameter, terminally on funnel-shaped to rarely cylindrical or slightly inflating hyphae, and a strong, straight to slightly recurved septum that closes the spore pore at the spore base. Phylogenetically, the new fungus represents clearly a new genus in a separated clade, near to Funneliformis and Septoglomus. It can easily be distinguished from all other species of these genera by the characteristic ornamentation of the spore surface, which consists of multiple large, irregular pits. The fungus is here described under the epithet Funneliglomus sanmartinensis, serving as type species of the new genus Funneliglomus

Acaulospora flavopapillosa, a new fungus in the Glomeromycetes from a coffee plantation in Peru, with an updated key for the identification of Acaulosporaceae species

A new fungus of the arbuscular-mycorrhiza forming Glomeromycetes was found in a coffee plantation in Palestina, located in the Amazonian region of San Martín State in Peru. The fungus was propagated in bait cultures on Brachiaria brizantha, Medicago sativa and Sorghum vulgare as host plants. It forms typical acaulosporoid spores laterally on sporiferous saccule necks. The spores are brownish yellow to yellow brown, 125-160 μm in diam and are crowded with papillae on their surface. The papillae are approximately 1 μm wide as well as high. According to the color and surface structure of its spores, the fungus is here described under the epithet Acaulospora flavopapillosa. Phylogenetically, the new fungus clusters in a well-separated clade within a group that comprises A. fragilissima, A. saccata, A. papillosa, A. morrowiae, A. delicata, A. rugosa, A. dilatata and A. longula. Also A. excavata and A. dilatata were found by concomitant morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses in San Martín State during this study: A. excavata in another coffee plantation, and A. dilatata in an inka nut plantation. An identification key for all species in the family Acaulosporaceae is updated in this study

Acaulospora flava, a new arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus from Coffea arabica and Plukenetia volubilis plantations at the sources of the Amazon river in Peru

A new arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, Acaulospora flava, was found in coffee (Coffea arabica) and inka nut (Plukenetia volubilis) plantations in the Amazonia region of San Martín State in Peru. The fungus was propagated in bait cultures on Sorghum vulgare, Brachiaria brizantha and Medicago sativa as host plants. It differentiates typical acaulosporoid spores laterally on sporiferous saccule necks. The spores are light yellow, bright yellow to yellow brown, (95-)105-160 × (95-)100-150 μm in diameter and have smooth spore surfaces. Phylogenetically, A. flava clusters in a well-separated clade, nearest to A. kentinensis, followed by A. herrerae, A. spinosissima, A. excavata and A. aspera, of which remarkably A. spinosissima, A. excavata and A. aspera had also been found in inka nut plantations of San Martín State during the last years. Here, we report also A. herrerae and A. fragilissima as fungal symbionts within the rhizosphere of coffee and the inka nut. The later two fungi had so far been recorded by concomitant morphological and molecular analyses only from tropical islands, A. herrerae from Cuba in the Golf of Mexico and A. fragilissima from New Caledonia in the southwest Pacific Ocean close to Australia. In this study, the ITS region of A. herrerae was analyzed for the first time and deposited in the public databases. In total, we already recovered fourteen Acaulospora species from coffee and inka nut plantations in San Martín State of Peru, suggesting that Acaulospora species are frequent and beneficial symbionts in coffee and inka nut roots in San Martín State of Peru

Paraglomus pernambucanum sp. nov. and Paraglomus bolivianum comb. nov., and biogeographic distribution of Paraglomus and Pacispora

Paraglomus pernambucanum sp. nov. (Paraglomeromycetes) was found in a tropical dry forest in the semi-arid Caatinga biome of Pernambuco State (NE Brazil), in a cowpea and in two maize production sites. It was characterized by combined morphological and molecular analyses on the spores isolated from field soil samples. Another species, Pacispora boliviana (Glomeromycetes), first described only by spore morphology, had been known from another semi-arid biome in Southern America, the Gran Chaco in Bolivia. We detected this fungus now also at different locations in semi-arid to semi-humid NE Brazil. As for P. pernambucanum phylogenetic analyses were performed on nuclear ribosomal RNA gene sequences of the LSU region. For P. boliviana, the spores for these analyses originated from a trap culture inoculated with soils from the type location. The results now revealed that also P. boliviana belongs to Paraglomus. It grouped in a separate monophyletic cluster adjacent to P. pernambucanum, to P. brasilianum, P. laccatum and the type species P. occultum. Thus, P. boliviana is transferred to Paraglomus, as Paraglomus bolivianum comb. nov. Remarkably, it is the first species known in the Paraglomeromycetes with pigmented spores. Paraglomus pernambucanum and P. bolivianum have several features in common: e.g. bi-walled spores, and densely pitted surface ornamentations on the structural layer of the outer wall. Spores of the two species can be distinguished by color and the diagnostic nature of their pitted ornamentation. The current knowledge about the global distribution of Paraglomus and Pacispora species is summarized and discussed

Fungal Systematics and Evolution: FUSE 8

In this 8th contribution to the Fungal Systematics and Evolution series published by Sydowia, the authors formally describe 11 species: Cortinarius caryae, C. flavolilacinus, C. lilaceolamellatus, C. malodorus, C. olivaceolamellatus, C. quercophilus, C. violaceoflavescens, C. viridicarneus, Entoloma meridionale (Agaricales), Hortiboletus rupicapreus (Boletales), and Paraglomus peruvianum (Paraglomerales). The following new country records are reported: Bolbitius callistus (Agaricales) from Russia and Hymenoscyphus equiseti (Helotiales) from Sweden. Hymenoscyphus equiseti is proposed as a new combination for Lanzia equiseti, based on ITS and LSU sequence data in combination with morphological study

Rhizoglomus, a new genus of the Glomeraceae

Rhizoglomus gen. nov. (Glomeraceae, Glomeromycetes) is proposed, typified by Glomus intraradices [≡ Rhizoglomus intraradices]. The genus encompasses species of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi that frequently form abundant spores in soil and roots and is morphologically characterized by spores with cylindrical subtending hyphae (usually with an open pore at the base) and at least two or three (rarely up to five) distinct wall layers. Phylogenetically, the genus forms a separate clade in the Glomeraceae. In addition to R. intraradices, the genus includes R. aggregatum, R. antarcticum, R. arabicum, R. clarum, R. custos, R. fasciculatum, R. invermaium, R. irregulare, R. manihotis, R. microaggregatum, R. natalense, and R. proliferum. Some of these species were previously assigned to Rhizophagus (type: R. populinus), a pathogenic genus that does not belong in the Glomeromycota.ISSN:0093-466