Checklist of thallus-forming Laboulbeniomycetes from Belgium and the Netherlands, including Hesperomyces halyziae and Laboulbenia quarantenae spp. nov.

In this paper we present an updated checklist of thallus-forming Laboulbeniomycetes (Ascomycota, Pezizomycotina), that is, the orders Herpomycetales and Laboulbeniales, from Belgium and the Netherlands. Two species are newly described based on morphology, molecular data (ITS, LSU ribosomal DNA) and ecology (host association). These are Hesperomyces halyziae on Halyzia sedecimguttata (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) from both countries and Laboulbenia quarantenae on Bembidion biguttatum (Coleoptera, Carabidae) from Belgium. In addition, nine new country records are presented. For Belgium: Laboulbenia aubryi on Amara aranea (Coleoptera, Carabidae) and Rhachomyces spinosus on Syntomus foveatus (Coleoptera, Carabidae). For the Netherlands: Chitonomyces melanurus on Laccophilus minutus (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae), Euphoriomyces agathidii on Agathidium laevigatum (Coleoptera, Leiodidae), Laboulbenia fasciculata on Omophron limbatum (Coleoptera, Carabidae), Laboulbenia metableti on Syntomus foveatus and S. truncatellus (Coleoptera, Carabidae), Laboulbenia pseudomasei on Pterostichus melanarius (Coleoptera, Carabidae), Rhachomyces canariensis on Trechus obtusus (Coleoptera, Carabidae), and Stigmatomyces hydrelliae on Hydrellia albilabris (Diptera, Ephydridae). Finally, an identification key to 140 species of thallus-forming Laboulbeniomycetes in Belgium and the Netherlands is provided. Based on the combined data, we are able to identify mutual gaps that need to be filled as well as weigh the impact of chosen strategies (fieldwork, museum collections) and techniques in these neighboring countries. The aim of this work is to serve as a reference for studying Laboulbeniomycetes fungi in Europe

New records of Laboulbeniales (Fungi, Ascomycota) for The Netherlands

Laboulbeniales are obligate ectoparasitic ascomycetes occurring on Arthropoda, mostly insects. Since the 1950s almost no research on Laboulbeniales has been done in The Netherlands. This study presents a preliminary list of Laboulbeniales found on insects collected in De Kaaistoep. Thirteen species of Laboulbeniales were found on fourteen different insect hosts, nine of which are new to The Netherlands. One dipteran host is new to the entomofauna of The Netherlands

Edible fungi consumed by the Lamba and Bemba people of Haut-Katanga (DR Congo)

The objective of this work is to establish a list of species of edible fungi consumed by the Lamba and Bemba people of Haut-Katanga (DR Congo). This study contributes to the valorization of edible fungi gathered in the miombo woodlands of Haut-Katanga. A survey was conducted among Lamba and Bemba people of the peri-urban area of Lubumbashi. The first author conducted structured and semi-structured surveys among 331 people, mostly women aged 30-50. The results show the existence of thirty-eight edible species belonging to 9 genera and 8 families. The majority is ectomycorrhizal (66%) followed by Termitomyces (21%), while only a few are saprotrophic (13%). Lamba and Bemba people consume all taxa. Twenty-three local names have been recorded in their respective languages, i.e., Kilamba and Kibemba, two closely related Bantu languages belonging to the family’s Eastern clade. The Lamba and Bemba do not consume species of the genera Russula (Russulaceae) and Boletus (Boletaceae). We succeeded in reconstructing the conceptualization underlying the creation of several Kibemba and Kilamba mushroom names. Popular and scientific taxonomies rarely overlap: one and the same species may have different names in Kilamba and Kibemba, while one and the same name in Kilamba and/or Kibemba is often used for several congeneric species. Species considered toxic and not consumed do not have a Kilamba or Kibemba name of their own. Instead, they are collectively referred to by a term fyana fya bene, literally meaning “big (dangerous) children of them” and signaling that local consumers reject those species

The genus Lactarius s. str. (Basidiomycota, Russulales) in Togo (West Africa) : phylogeny and a new species described

Lactarius s. str. represents a monophyletic group of about 40 species in tropical Africa, although the delimitation of the genus from Lactifluus is still in progress. Recent molecular phylogenetic and taxonomic revisions have led to numerous changes in names of tropical species formerly referred to Lactarius. To better circumscribe the genus Lactarius in Togo, we combined morphological data with sequence analyses and phylogeny inference of rDNA ITS sequences. Morphological and molecular data were generated from specimens sampled in various native woodlands and riverside forests; Lactarioid- and Russula sequences from public GenBank NCBI, and UNITE are included for phylogenetic analysis. The Maximum likelihood phylogeny tree inferred from aligned sequences supports the phylogenetic position of the studied samples from Togo within the subgenera Piperites, and Plinthogali. Lactarius s. str. includes about 13 species described from West Africa, of which eight were not previously known from Togo, including one new species: Lactarius subbaliophaeus identifiable by the presence of winged basidiospores, a pallisadic pileipellis with a uprapellis composed of cylindrical cells, inconspicuous pleurocystidia, and fusiform or tortuous, often tapering apex marginal cells. It can also be recognised by a transparent white latex that turns pinkish and then blackish, and a bluish reaction of the flesh context with FeSO4. These features mentioned do not match any of the morpho-anatomically most similar species, notably L. baliophaeus and L. griseogalus

Studies of Laboulbeniales on Myrmica ants (IV): host-related diversity and thallus distribution patterns of Rickia wasmannii

Fungal species identities are often based on morphological features, but current molecular phylogenetic and other approaches almost always lead to the discovery of multiple species in single morpho-species. According to the morphological species concept, the ant-parasitic fungus Rickia wasmannii (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniales) is a single species with pan-European distribution and a wide host range. Since its description, it has been reported from ten species of Myrmica (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), of which two belong to the rubra-group and the other eight to the phylogenetically distinct scabrinodis-group. We found evidence for R. wasmannii being a single phylogenetic species using sequence data from two loci. Apparently, the original morphological description (dating back to 1899) represents a single phylogenetic species. Furthermore, the biology and host-parasite interactions of R. wasmannii are not likely to be affected by genetic divergence among different populations of the fungus, implying comparability among studies conducted on members of different ant populations. We found no differences in total thallus number on workers between Myrmica species, but we did observe differences in the pattern of thallus distribution over the body. The locus of infection is the frontal side of the head in Myrmica rubra and M. sabuleti whereas in M. scabrinodis the locus of infection differs between worker ants from Hungary (gaster tergites) and the Netherlands (frontal head). Possible explanations for these observations are differences among host species and among populations of the same species in (i) how ant workers come into contact with the fungus, (ii) grooming efficacy, and (iii) cuticle surface characteristics

Studies of Laboulbeniales on Myrmica ants (IV): host-related diversity and thallus distribution patterns of Rickia wasmannii

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Reconciling biodiversity and carbon stock conservation in an Afrotropical forest landscape

Protecting aboveground carbon stocks in tropical forests is essential for mitigating global climate change and is assumed to simultaneously conserve biodiversity. Although the relationship between tree diversity and carbon stocks is generally positive, the relationship remains unclear for consumers or decomposers. We assessed this relationship for multiple trophic levels across the tree of life (10 organismal groups, 3 kingdoms) in lowland rainforests of the Congo Basin. Comparisons across regrowth and old-growth forests evinced the expected positive relationship for trees, but not for other organismal groups. Moreover, differences in species composition between forests increased with difference in carbon stock. These variable associations across the tree of life contradict the implicit assumption that maximum co-benefits to biodiversity are associated with conservation of forests with the highest carbon storage. Initiatives targeting climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation should include both old-growth and regenerating forests to optimally benefit biodiversity and carbon storage

Fungal systematics and evolution : FUSE 7

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