Acanthostigma and Tubeufia species, including T. claspisphaeria sp. nov., from submerged wood in Hong Kong

Acanthostigma scopulum, Tubeufia claspisphaeria sp. nov. and T. paludosa were identified from submerged wood collected in a small forest stream on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. The collections of Acanthostigma scopulum and Tubeufia paludosa differed slightly from the original descriptions. Tubeufia claspisphaeria differs from previously described species in that it has hook-shaped setae that form radially around the ostiole. This new species is described and illustrated and compared with the most similar species. A dichotomous key to the 16 accepted species in Tubeufia is provided.published_or_final_versio

The family Pleosporaceae: intergeneric relationships and phylogenetic perspectives based on sequence analyses of partial 28S rDNA

The Pleosporaceae is an important loculoascomycete family. There has been disagreement, however, regarding the taxonomic placement of many genera within this family. This study investigates phylogenetic relationships among the genera Cochliobolus, Kirschsteiniothelia, Leptosphaerulina, Macroventuria, Pleospora, Pyrenophora, and Wettsteinina. Partial 28S rDNA sequences from taxa within these genera were analyzed with maximum parsimony, likelihood and Bayesian methods. Cochliobolus can be segregated broadly into two groups as previously proposed. Pleospora is polyphyletic in its current sense. Taxa with Stemphylium anamorphs are closely related to Cochliobolus and fit within the Pleosporaceae, whereas the affinities of Pleospora herbarum and P. ambigua are still ambiguous. Pyrenophora constitutes a monophyletic group within the Pleosporaceae, whereas Leptosphaerulina and Macroventuria appear to share phylogenetic affinities with the Leptosphaeriaceae and Phaeosphaeriaceae. Phylogenies indicate that Wettsteinina should be excluded from the Pleosporaceae. Similar findings are reported for Kirschsteiniothelia, which is probably polyphyletic. Anamorphic characters appear to be significant (especially in Cochliobolus) while ascospore morphologies, such as shape and color and substrate occurrence are poor indicators of phylogenetic relationships among these loculoascomycetes.published_or_final_versio

Pleosporales

One hundred and five generic types of Pleosporales are described and illustrated. A brief introduction and detailed history with short notes on morphology, molecular phylogeny as well as a general conclusion of each genus are provided. For those genera where the type or a representative specimen is unavailable, a brief note is given. Altogether 174 genera of Pleosporales are treated. Phaeotrichaceae as well as Kriegeriella, Zeuctomorpha and Muroia are excluded from Pleosporales. Based on the multigene phylogenetic analysis, the suborder Massarineae is emended to accommodate five families, viz. Lentitheciaceae, Massarinaceae, Montagnulaceae, Morosphaeriaceae and Trematosphaeriaceae

Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa

This article provides an outline of the classification of the kingdom Fungi (including fossil fungi. i.e. dispersed spores, mycelia, sporophores, mycorrhizas). We treat 19 phyla of fungi. These are Aphelidiomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiobolomycota, Basidiomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Calcarisporiellomycota, Caulochytriomycota, Chytridiomycota, Entomophthoromycota, Entorrhizomycota, Glomeromycota, Kickxellomycota, Monoblepharomycota, Mortierellomycota, Mucoromycota, Neocallimastigomycota, Olpidiomycota, Rozellomycota and Zoopagomycota. The placement of all fungal genera is provided at the class-, order- and family-level. The described number of species per genus is also given. Notes are provided of taxa for which recent changes or disagreements have been presented. Fungus-like taxa that were traditionally treated as fungi are also incorporated in this outline (i.e. Eumycetozoa, Dictyosteliomycetes, Ceratiomyxomycetes and Myxomycetes). Four new taxa are introduced: Amblyosporida ord. nov. Neopereziida ord. nov. and Ovavesiculida ord. nov. in Rozellomycota, and Protosporangiaceae fam. nov. in Dictyosteliomycetes. Two different classifications (in outline section and in discussion) are provided for Glomeromycota and Leotiomycetes based on recent studies. The phylogenetic reconstruction of a four-gene dataset (18S and 28S rRNA, RPB1, RPB2) of 433 taxa is presented, including all currently described orders of fungi

Diversity of saprobic fungi on Magnolia garrettii: do collecting sites and seasons affect the fungal community?

The diversity of saprobic fungi found on woody litter of Magnolia garrettii collected from Phu Hin Rongkla National Park in Phitsanulok Province, Thailand during the wet and dry seasons, from July 2008 to April 2009, was studied, and the fungal diversity and community was compared with a previous study in Doi Suthep-Pui National Park in Chiang Mai Province. Based on morphological characteristics, 141 taxa were obtained and classified as 40 Ascomycetes, 5 Basidiomycetes, 42 lichens, one unidentified taxon and 53 anamorphic fungi. The number of taxa recovered indicated that Dry season samples supported a more diverse fungal community than samples collected in the wet season, for both collecting sites, although the common genera of fungi obtained during each season were similar. Distinct fungal communities of saprobic fungi collected from each site suggest that site characteristics affect the community composition. Samples from Phu Hin Rongkla National Park provided higher numbers of fungi (especially lichens) than were collected in the previous Doi Suthep-Pui National Park study with few species overlapping in the two sites

Systematic revision of Tubeufiaceae based on morphological and molecular data

The family Tubeufiaceae is circumscribed for taxa in the Pleosporales that possess superficial, white, pallid to bright, ascomata, which may darken at maturity. The family currently includes 21 genera with varied taxonomic histories, a result of disparate opinions regarding the importance of several different morphological characters. In this study, nucleotide sequences from 28S rDNA from different taxa of the Tubeufiaceae and allied families were analysed under different optimality criteria (Maximum Parsimony, Likelihood and Bayesian) to assess phylogenetic relationships. Phylogenies obtained using different tree construction methods yielded essentially similar topologies. Results from the molecular data do not correspond to established morphological schemes. Characters such as colour of ascomata, shape of ascospores and anamorphic taxa do not appear to be significant in delineating several genera within the Tubeufiaceae, while at the familial level, Tubeufiaceae does not appear to be restricted to those bitunicate fungi characterised by superficial, white and pallid to bright ascomata and filiform ascospores. In addition, phylogenies also indicate that the Tubeufiaceae is more closely related to the Venturiaceae, and therefore its current taxonomic placement within the order Pleosporales is justified. Results also indicate that Acanthostigma, Boerlagiomyces and Letendraea are phylogenetically unrelated to other members of the Tubeufiaceae and therefore it is highly possible that they should be excluded from the Tubeufiaceae. In this study, the family Tubeufiaceae is redefined based on existing morphological information and phylogenies.link_to_OA_fulltex

Capnodiaceae

In this paper we revisit the Capnodiaceae with notes on selected genera. Type specimens of the ascomycetous genera Aithaloderma, Anopeltis, Callebaea, Capnodaria, Echinothecium, Phragmocapnias and Scorias were re-examined, described and illustrated. Leptoxyphium is anamorphic Capnodiaceae and Polychaeton is a legitimate and earlier name for Capnodium, but in order to maintain nomenclatural stability we propose that the teleomorphic name should be considered for the approved lists of names currently in preparation for fungi. Notes are provided on the ascomycetous genus Scoriadopsis. However, we were unable to locate the type of this genus during the time frame of this study. The ascomycetous genera Aithaloderma, Ceramoclasteropsis, Hyaloscolecostroma and Trichomerium are excluded from Capnodiaceae on the basis of having ascostromata and trans-septate hyaline ascospores and should be accommodated in Chaetothyriaceae. Callebaea is excluded as the ascomata are thyriothecia and the genus is placed in Micropeltidaceae. Echinothecium is excluded as synonym of Sphaerellothecium and is transferred to Mycosphaerellaceae. The type specimen of Capnophaeum is lost and this should be considered as a doubtful genus. The coelomycetous Microxiphium is polyphyletic, while the status of Fumiglobus, Polychaetella and Tripospermum is unclear. Fourteen new collections of sooty moulds made in Thailand were isolated and sequenced. The nuclear large and small rDNA was partially sequenced and compared in a phylogeny used to build a more complete understanding of the relationships of genera in Capnodiaceae. Four new species are described and illustrated, while Phragmocapnias and Scorias are epitypified with fresh collections