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Elaphomyces readii is presented as a new species to science based on morphological and molecular evidence. The new species is characterized mainly by the pale brown rugose ascomata, yellowish to reddish brown hues in the proximity to the gleba, dark purple gleba and ascospores 20–57 µm in diameter. Elaphomyces readii is morphologically similar to E. papillatus and E. muricatus but differs in the ascospore size and phylogenetical location. Further, E. readii is sold in traditional markets in the state of Oaxaca, southeastern Mexico as a medicinal fungus consumed to heal wounds, internal bleeding, and external injuries. Morphological descriptions, SEM ornamentation spores and nrITS-based phylogenetic analysis using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood method and Bayesian inference support the proposal of this new species.

Two new species of sequestrate fungi are described from south Mexico based on morphological and molecular evidences. Here we describe Elaphomyces castilloi characterized by the yellowish mycelial mat, dull blue gleba and ascospores of 9.7–11.5 µm; Entoloma secotioides is characterized by the secotioid basidiomata, sulcate, pale cream pileus, and basidiospores of 7–13 × 5–9 µm. Both species grow in montane cloud forest under Quercus sp. in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. Descriptions, photographs, and multilocus phylogeny for both species are presented.

Rosa roxburghii Tratt., a deciduous shrub of the family Rosaceae, is usually used as food and medicinal materials and also cultivated as an ornamental. Plant endophytic fungi are a large class of microbial resources not fully researched, with great potential applications. Two strains of Ascodesmis and Talaromyces were isolated during a survey of biodiversity on endophytic fungi of R. roxburghii in China. Multigene phylogenetic analyses showed that each of the two fungi formed a distinct lineage and separated from known congeneric species and they are proposed as two novel taxa. Ascodesmis rosicola sp. nov. usually has one or two conspicuous simple or branched ridges extending to the majority of the ascospore surface and remarkably small asci, distinguishing it from the previously-described species in the genus Ascodesmis. Talaromyces rosarhiza sp. nov., of the section Talaromyces, is closely related to T. francoae. It differs from the latter by having both monoverticillate and biverticillate conidiophores, while those of T. francoae are biverticillate. Both novel endophytes are illustrated and described.

A filamentous fungus Paecilomyces formosus (Eurotiales, Ascomycota) was detected for the first time from the region while surveying fungal diversity of a cold arid high-altitude pass (4,000 msl) located in Kargil district (Ladakh), India. The fungal isolate was characterized morphologically with camera lucida drawings and microphotographs, and identified using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) ribosomal DNA sequences. P. formosus has not been reported from India, or from arid/semi-arid/cold regions before, thus this represents a new record of Indian hot/cold desert mycoflora that is psychrotrophic in contrast to the more common thermophilic fungi.

Penicillium section Charlesia was established based on a multigene phylogeny of P. charlesii, P. coffeae, P. fellutanum, P. georgiense, P. indicum and P. phoeniceum. Since then, three additional species were described in the section. Species can occur on a wide range of substrata including soil, corn, coffee, water, air, deteriorating cloth and clinical samples. The majority of species in section Charlesia grow restricted on Czapek yeast extract agar and produce smooth-walled, vesiculate, monoverticillate conidiophores. A limited number of studies have reviewed the taxonomy of this section. In the present study, available strains belonging to section Charlesia were evaluated in a multilocus phylogenetic analysis using the ITS rDNA region, partial β-tubulin (BenA), calmodulin (CaM) and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) sequences. This analysis revealed 12 distinct species, including three that are newly described here as Penicillium aspericonidium, P. fusiforme and P. longiconidiophorum. The macromorphology on different media, vesicle width, stipe length and ornamentation, and conidial shape and size are important morphological characters for distinguishing species of section Charlesia.

Talaromyces minioluteus belongs to the section Trachyspermi, has a worldwide distribution and has been found on various substrates, especially on various (stored) food commodities and indoor environments. This species is phenotypically and phylogenetically closely related to T. chongqingensis and T. minnesotensis. The phylogenetic and morphological analyses of 37 strains previously identified as T. chongqingensis, T. minnesotensis and T. minioluteus revealed that this clade incudes eight species: the accepted species T. chongqingensis, T. minnesotensis and T. minioluteus, the newly proposed species T. calidominioluteus, T. africanus and T. germanicus, and the new combinations T. gaditanus (basionym Penicillium gaditanum) and T. samsonii (basionym Penicillium samsonii). In this study, we give insight of the phylogenetic relationships and provide detailed descriptions of the species belonging to this clade. Macromorphological features, especially colony growth rates, texture and conidial colors on agar media, are important characters for phenotypic differentiation between species.

Reports on fungi occurring on marine crabs have been mostly related to those causing infections/diseases. To better understand the potential role(s) of fungi associated with marine crabs, this study investigated the culturable diversity of fungi on carapace of the marine shallow-water hydrothermal vent crab Xenograpsus testudinatus collected at Kueishan Island, Taiwan. By sequencing the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS), 18S and 28S of the rDNA for identification, 12 species of fungi were isolated from 46 individuals of X. testudinatus: Aspergillus penicillioides, Aspergillus versicolor, Candida parapsilosis, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Mycosphaerella sp., Parengyodontium album, Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium paxili, Stachylidium bicolor, Zasmidium sp. (Ascomycota), Cystobasidium calyptogenae and Earliella scabrosa (Basidiomycota). With additional data from other published reports, a total of 26 species of fungi (23 Ascomycota, three Basidiomycota) have been recorded from X. testudinatus. Aspergillus is the most speciose genus on the crab, followed by Penicillium and Candida. All but one species (Xylaria arbuscula) had been previously isolated from substrates in the marine environment, although many are typical terrestrial taxa. None of the recorded fungi on X. testudinatus are reported pathogens of crabs, but some have caused diseases of other marine animals. Whether the crab X. testudinatus is a vehicle of marine fungal diseases requires further study.

The hypogeous, sequestrate ascomycete genus Elaphomyces is one of the oldest known truffle-like genera. Elaphomyces has a long history of consumption by animals in Europe and was formally described by Nees von Esenbeck in 1820 from Europe. Until recently most Elaphomyces specimens in North America were assigned names of European taxa due to lack of specialists working on this group and difficulty of using pre-modern species descriptions. It has recently been discovered that North America has a rich diversity of Elaphomyces species far beyond the four Elaphomyces species described from North America prior to 2012. We describe eight new Elaphomyces species (E. dalemurphyi, E. dunlapii, E. holtsii, E. lougehrigii, E. miketroutii, E. roodyi, E. stevemilleri and E. wazhazhensis) of eastern North America that were collected in habitats from Quebec, Canada south to Florida, USA, west to Texas and Iowa. The ranges of these species vary and with continued sampling may prove to be larger than we have established. Castellano has studied authentic material of all European Elaphomyces species published through 2016 and it is interesting to note that many Elaphomyces species from eastern North America have morphological similarities but with distinct morphological differences to a number of European Elaphomyces species.

We used matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) fingerprinting to identify 95 strains of Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Talaromyces isolated from soil, marine sediment, and plants in Brazil. Samples for mass spectrometry were composed of conidia and conidiophores directly applied to the target plate and co-crystallized with the matrix solution. Cluster analyses of MS data and phylogenetic analyses based on the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II gene sequence (RPB2) supported the identification of 42 species in Aspergillus (n = 17), Penicillium (n = 16), and Talaromyces (n = 9). In few cases, MALDI-TOF dendrograms split strains from one species into two neighboring clusters, but strains from different species were never grouped together. Three Penicillium species delimited by MALDI-TOF MS did not correspond to known species present in the large RPB2 dataset available for this group and may represent new taxa. These results expand the scope of applications of MALDI-TOF MS to the task of screening phylogenetically diverse assemblages of morphologically similar strains derived from field collections, allowing for fast discrimination of common and rare species, and detection of possible new taxa.

Penicillium costaricense was isolated in air samples from a surgery center in a public hospital in Brazil. The only published data on the occurrence of this species is from caterpillar intestine of Rothschildia lebeau in Costa Rica. The isolate was identified by morphology together with the molecular markers β-tubulin and calmodulin. This report is a warning call to understand the pathogenicity of this species. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of P. costaricense in South American and the second in the world.

Aspergillus subgenus Polypaecilum contains species with solitary phialides instead of aspergilli and conidia occurring in chains, heads, or singly. Most species in this subgenus are xerotolerant or halotolerant and are widely distributed in house dust and saline environments. Some subgenus Polypaecilum members like Aspergillus caninus and A. chlamydosporus grow well at 37 °C and were associated with mycoses in canines. In the present study, three strains isolated from farmland soil were assigned in subgenus Polypaecilum based on multilocus phylogenetic analyses but showed low sequence similarity with existing species. They were named as a new species, Aspergillus telluris sp. nov.. Aspergillus telluris falls into the A. caninus and A. chlamydosporus clade. Morphologically it is similar to A. chlamydosporus by production of subglobose, pyriform, ellipsoidal conidia and globose to subglobose chlamydospores. This is also the first report of Aspergillus subgenus Polypaecilum species in China.

Talaromyces is a monophyletic genus containing seven sections. The number of species in Talaromyces grows rapidly due to reliable and complete sequence data contributed from all over the world. In this study agricultural soil samples from Fujiang, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Shandong, Tibet and Zhejiang provinces of China were collected and analyzed for fungal diversity. Based on a polyphasic approach including phylogenetic analysis of partial ITS, BenA, CaM and RPB2 gene sequences, macro- and micro-morphological analyses, six of them could not be assigned to any described species, and one cannot be assigned to any known sections. Morphological characters as well as their phylogenetic relationship with other Talaromyces species are presented for these putative new species. Penicillium resedanum is combined in Talaromyces section Subinflati as T. resedanus.

Coprophilous fungi are saprotrophic organisms that show great diversity, mainly on herbivore dung. The physico-chemical characteristics of this peculiar substrate combined with the high level of fungal adaptation to different environmental conditions offer the perfect setting for discovering new taxa. This study focused on the species diversity of penicillium-like fungi isolated mainly from herbivore dung collected at different Spanish locations. From 130 samples, a total of 104 isolates were obtained, and 48 species were identified. Preliminary identifications were based on morphology and partial β-tubulin (tub2) gene sequences. Putative new taxa were characterized by a multi-gene sequencing analysis testing the tub2, the internal transcribed spacer rDNA (ITS), calmodulin (cmdA), and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2) genes, and a detailed phenotypic study. Using this polyphasic approach and following the genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition (GCPSR) method, we propose the new genera Penicillago (for Penicillium nodositatum) and Pseudopenicillium (for Penicillium megasporum and P. giganteum) in the family Aspergillaceae, and 11 new species, including seven Penicillium, three Talaromyces and one Pseudopenicillium. A lectotype and epitype are designed for Penicillium nodositatum. Our results show that the species diversity of penicillium-like fungi on herbivore dung has not been widely studied and that this substrate seems to be a good reservoir of interesting Eurotialean fungi.

The recent isolation of an atoxigenic strain of Aspergillus flavus (Link) (Eurotiales: Trichocomaceae), which was virulent to all stages of Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) has generated interest to investigate virulence of the entomopathogenic fungus against other crop pests, and how it compares with established commercial biopesticides. In this study, we tested the pathogenicity and virulence of the atoxigenic A. flavus strain to Ootheca mutabilis (Sahlberg) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in the laboratory compared to the commercial Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff Sorokin) (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae; OD®, ICIPE 69). Serial dilutions of both entomopathogenic fungi (1 × 106–1 × 109 conidia/ml) were evaluated against adult O. mutabilis. Distilled water and cypermethrin 5% EC were included as controls. The treatments were replicated four times and the bioassay was repeated once. Both fungi at 1 × 109 conidia/ml killed 100% of tested O. mutabilis within seven days in the 1st and 2nd trials. The concentration of both fungi that killed 50% of O. mutabilis was the same in both trials (5.3 × 106 conidia/ml). The time taken by A. flavus and ICIPE 69 to kill 50% of O. mutabilis was not significantly different in the 1st trial (3.4 ± 0.1 days and 2.9 ± 0.4 days, respectively). However, ICIPE 69 took a significantly shorter time (2.1 ± 0.4 days) than A. flavus (3.6 ± 0.2 days) to kill 50% of O. mutabilis in the 2nd trial. We concluded that A. flavus is comparably as pathogenic and virulent (in terms of cumulative mortality and LC50) against O. mutabilis as ICIPE 69, and therefore both fungi may be viable biopesticides for commercialization against this pest.

Aspergillus species are cosmopolitan and ubiquitous, closely related to human daily life. They are also of food, industrial and medical importance. From the examination of cultures isolated from soil samples collected on tropical islands of China, four new species of the genus were discovered based on phylogenetic analyses and morphological comparisons. Aspergillus xishaensis sp. nov. and A. neoterreus sp. nov. belong to sections Flavipedes and Terrei of subgenus Circumdati, and A. hainanicus sp. nov. and A. qilianyuensis sp. nov. are in sections Cavernicolarum and Nidulantes of subgenus Nidulantes. To accommodate A. hainanicus, a new series Hainanici was proposed. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of the new taxa were provided.

Sri Lanka as an agricultural country requires seed health testing to manage crop diseases. So far no comprehensive research has been carried out for the proper identification of seed mycoflora affecting the seed quality in Sri Lanka. The present study strives to address this issue by identifying seed-borne fungal pathogens from stored seeds using morpho-molecular characterization. Fungal pathogens were isolated from surface-sterilized and non-surface sterilized seeds of Arachis hypogea, Oryza sativa, Vigna radiata, and Vigna sinensis. PCR amplification and DNA sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was carried out for molecular identification of pathogens. The germination quality of each seed variety was calculated by pot experiments. Distribution frequencies, percentage of germination, and seedling vigor were calculated and analyzed for each seed variety tested. In total eighteen isolates were recovered from the four seed varieties. Molecular characterization revealed that the fungal isolates recovered from all the four seed varieties belong to seven genera: Aspergillus, Bipolaris, Daldinia, Macrophomina, Orbilia, Rhizopus, and Talaromyces. Rhizopus spp. showed the highest distribution frequency (75%). Arachis hypogea showed the lowest germination percentage (20%) and lowest seedling vigor index (585). The seeds of Oryza sativa showed no germination probably due to their high incidence of fungal pathogens (four out of seven genera). This study is the first comprehensive study analyzing the seed-borne pathogens of the four most commonly consumed Sri Lankan cereal and legume crops. Results reported in this study helps to identify and implement optimum storage facilities and control such fungal pathogens in future agricultural practices.

Penicillium species are common fungi found worldwide from diverse substrates, including soil, plant debris, food products and air. Their diversity in aquatic environments is still underexplored. With the aim to explore the fungal diversity in Spanish freshwater sediments, numerous Penicillium strains were isolated using various culture-dependent techniques. A preliminary sequence analysis of the β-tubulin (tub2) gene marker allowed us to identify several interesting species of Penicillium, which were later characterized phylogenetically with the barcodes recommended for species delimitation in the genus. Based on the multi-locus phylogeny of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of the ribosomal DNA, and partial fragments of tub2, calmodulin (cmdA), and the RNA polymerase II largest subunit (rpb2) genes, in combination with phenotypic analyses, five novel species are described. These are P. ausonanum in section Lanata-Divaricata, P. guarroi in sect. Gracilenta, P. irregulare in sect. Canescentia, P. sicoris in sect. Paradoxa and P. submersum in sect. Robsamsonia. The study of several isolates from samples collected in different locations resulted in the reinstatement of P. vaccaeorum into section Citrina. Finally, P. heteromorphum (sect. Exilicaulis) and P. tardochrysogenum (sect. Chrysogena) are reported, previously only known from Antarctica and China, respectively.

Aspergillus subgenus Nidulantes includes species with emericella-like ascomata and asexual species. Subgenus Nidulantes is the second largest subgenus of Aspergillus and consists of nine sections. In this study, agricultural soils were sampled from 12 provinces and autonomous regions in China. Based on primary BLAST analyses, seven of 445 Aspergillus isolates showed low similarity with existing species. A polyphasic investigation, including phylogenetic analysis of partial ITS, β-tubulin, calmodulin, and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit genes, provided evidence that these isolates were distributed among four new species (Aspergillus guangdongensis, A. guangxiensis, A. sichuanensis and A. tibetensis) in sections Aenei, Ochraceorosei, and Sparsi of subgenus Nidulantes. Illustrated morphological descriptions are provided for each new taxon.

Fungi associated with macroalgae are less known when compared with those on wood in the marine environment. In this study, we assessed the diversity of fungi associated with the red alga Pterocladiella capillacea at Chao-Jin Park, Keelung, Taiwan. Algal segments of healthy and dead thalli were washed/sterilized with different solutions (sterile artificial seawater, 70% ethanol, and 4% sodium hypochlorite), plated on three different media (glucose-yeast extract-peptone seawater agar (GYPS), potato dextrose seawater agar (PDAS), and artificial seawater agar (SA)), and isolated as pure cultures. Identification was mainly based on BLAST search analysis of the internal transcribed spacers of rDNA (ITS). The highest isolation frequency (no. of segment with fungi/total no. of segment × 100) was in dead thalli (61.23%), thalli washed with seawater (88.38%), and thalli plated on GYPS (62.10%). A total of 3187 isolates were cultured, representing 129 taxa (in 67 genera), the higher species richness was isolated from healthy thalli (119 species), thalli washed with seawater (111 species), and on GYPS (112 species). Ascomycota (Eurotiales, Hypocreales, Capnodiales, Pleosporales, Xylariales) dominated the fungal community in P. capillacea with many basidiomycetous yeasts and few Mucoromycota. Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Penicillium (Ascomycota), and Rhodosporidium (Basidiomycota) were the dominant genera associated with the alga. The surface washing/sterilization schemes of algal thalli affected fungal diversity, but the isolation media used did not. While these genera are known producers of antimicrobial secondary metabolites, they might form a mutualistic relationship with P. capillacea by exchanging nutrients from photosynthesis for protection from microbial diseases.

In the built environment, fungi can cause important deterioration of building materials and adverse health effects on occupants. Increased knowledge about indoor mycobiomes from different regions of the world, and their main environmental determinants, will enable improved indoor air quality management and identification of health risks. This is the first citizen science study about indoor mycobiomes at a large geographical scale in Europe, including 271 houses from Norway and 807 dust samples from three house compartments: outside of the building, living room and bathroom. The fungal community composition determined by DNA metabarcoding was clearly different between indoor and outdoor samples, but there were no significant differences between the two indoor compartments. The 32 selected variables, related to the outdoor environment, building features and occupant characteristics, accounted for 15% of the overall variation in community composition, with the house compartment as the key factor (7.6%). Next, the climate was the main driver of the dust mycobiomes (4.2%), while building and occupant variables had significant but minor influences (1.4% and 1.1%, respectively). The house-dust mycobiomes were dominated by ascomycetes (⁓70%) with Capnodiales and Eurotiales as the most abundant orders. Compared to the outdoor samples, the indoor mycobiomes showed higher species richness, which is probably due to the mixture of fungi from outdoor and indoor sources. The main indoor indicator fungi belonged to two ecological groups with allergenic potential: xerophilic molds and skin-associated yeasts. Our results suggest that citizen science is a successful approach for unraveling the built microbiome at large geographical scales.

Agaricus bisporus cultivation is based on a selective substrate prepared by a meticulous composting process where thermophilic and/or thermotolerant fungi might play an important role in straw biomass depolymerization. Since fungi have physiological limitations to survive and grow in high-temperature environments, we set out different pasteurization regimes (57 °C/6 h, 60 °C/2 h, and 68 °C/2 h) to evaluate the impact on the fungal community assembly. The fungal community profile generated by high-throughput sequencing showed shifts in community diversity and composition under different pasteurization regimes. Most of the recovered sequences belong to the Ascomycota phylum. Among 73 species detected, Mycothermus thermophilus, Talaromyces thermophilus, and Thermomyces lanuginosus were the most abundant. In the current study, we outlined that pasteurization regimes can reshape the fungal community in compost which can potentially impact the A. bisporus development.

Aspergillus sections Usti and Cavernicolarum are accommodated in the subgenus Nidulantes. In the present study, a polyphasic approach using morphology and multi-gene phylogeny was applied to investigate the taxonomy of these two sections. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, Aspergillus section Usti includes 25 species, which can be assigned to four series: Calidousti, Deflecti, Monodiorum and Usti. Aspergillus sigarelli is newly described in this section and this species was isolated from a cigarette from PR China and belongs to series Calidousti. It is clearly distinct from other members in this series based on ITS, BenA, CaM and RPB2 sequences. Aspergillus section Usti members like A. calidoustus and A. granulosus are important opportunistic pathogens, it is speculative that more pathogenetic species will be found by using polyphasic taxonomy approaches. Aspergillus section Cavernicolarum includes five species, the growth rates on agar media and size and ornamentation of conidia are important characters for differentiating species in section Cavernicolarum.

The North European species of Elaphomyces section Elaphomyces (Eurotiales, Pezizomycotina) are studied. Three new species, E. citrinopapillatus, E. pusillus, and E. roseoviolaceus are introduced and verified by morphology and sequence data from ITS, nuclear LSU, mitochondrial SSU, and β-tubulin. A lectotype for Elaphomyces granulatus is selected. Elaphomyces granulatus and E. muricatus are epitypified with sequenced material from the Femsjö region in South Sweden. Elaphomyces striatosporus is epitypified with sequenced material from the vicinity of the type locality in Norway. A key to all species of Elaphomyces occurring in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden is provided.

Mycological investigation of various foods (mainly cowpea, groundnut, maize, rice, sorghum) and agricultural soils from two states in north-central Nigeria (Nasarawa and Niger), was conducted in order to understand the role of filamentous fungi in food contamination and public health. A total of 839 fungal isolates were recovered from 84% of the 250 food and all 30 soil samples. Preliminary identifications were made, based on macro- and micromorphological characters. Representative strains (n = 121) were studied in detail using morphology and DNA sequencing, involving genera/species-specific markers, while extrolite profiles using LC-MS/MS were obtained for a selection of strains. The representative strains grouped in seven genera (Aspergillus, Fusarium, Macrophomina, Meyerozyma, Neocosmospora, Neotestudina and Phoma). Amongst the 21 species that were isolated during this study was one novel species belonging to the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex, F. madaensesp. nov., obtained from groundnut and sorghum in Nasarawa state. The examined strains produced diverse extrolites, including several uncommon compounds: averantinmethylether in A. aflatoxiformans; aspergillimide in A. flavus; heptelidic acid in A. austwickii; desoxypaxillin, kotanin A and paspalitrems (A and B) in A. aflatoxiformans, A. austwickii and A. cerealis; aurasperon C, dimethylsulochrin, fellutanine A, methylorsellinic acid, nigragillin and pyrophen in A. brunneoviolaceus; cyclosporins (A, B, C and H) in A. niger; methylorsellinic acid, pyrophen and secalonic acid in A. piperis; aspulvinone E, fonsecin, kojic acid, kotanin A, malformin C, pyranonigrin and pyrophen in A. vadensis; and all compounds in F. madaense sp. nov., Meyerozyma, Neocosmospora and Neotestudina. This study provides snapshot data for prediction of food contamination and fungal biodiversity exploitation.

This study isolated and evaluated virulence of fungal entomopathogens of Xylosandrus compactus - an important pest of Robusta coffee in Sub-Saharan Africa. A survey was conducted in five farming systems in Uganda to isolate entomopathogens associated with X. compactus. Four fungal isolates were screened for virulence against X. compactus in the laboratory at 1 × 107 conidia ml-1 where an atoxigenic L-strain of A. flavus killed 70%-100% of all stages of X. compactus compared with other unidentified isolates which caused 20%-70% mortalities. The time taken by A. flavus to kill 50% of X. compactus eggs, larvae, pupae and adults in the laboratory was 2-3 days; whereas the other unidentified fungal isolates took 4-7 days. The concentrations of A. flavus that killed 50% of different stages of X. compactus were 5 × 105 , 12 × 105 , 17 × 105 and 30 × 105 conidia ml-1 for larvae, eggs, pupae and adults respectively. A formulation of A. flavus in oil caused higher mortalities of X. compactus larvae, pupae and adults in the field (71%-79%) than its formulation in water (33%-47%). The atoxigenic strain of A. flavus could therefore be developed into a safe biopesticide against X. compactus.

We describe three new species of Elaphomyces from eastern North America. Of the three, Elaphomyces loebiae is the rarest, known only from North Carolina and South Carolina, and appears to associate primarily with ectomycorrhizal hardwoods but possibly also with conifers. Elaphomyces cibulae is widely distributed but disjunct from Florida, Mississippi, and North Carolina. Elaphomyces cibulae seems to primarily associate with Quercus species. Elaphomyces mitchelliae has the widest distribution of the three species, from Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, and appears to associate with either ectomycorrhizal hardwoods and/or conifers. In the course of comparing our new Elaphomyces species to previously described European species we discovered that E. persoonii var. minor is conspecific in all essential details with and thus a synonym of E. cyanosporus.

We describe five new species of Elaphomyces from Bartlett Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, USA (E. americanus, E. bartlettii, E. macrosporus, E. oreoides, and E. remickii) and revise the description of a sixth previously published species (E. verruculosus). Of the five new species, E. bartlettiii and E. remickii are only known from New Hampshire whereas E. americanus, E. macrosporus, and E. oreoides are widely distributed in eastern North America. Elaphomyces verruculosus is the most widespread and abundant Elaphomyces species in eastern North America with a distribution extending from eastern Canada south to northeastern Mexico. All six Elaphomyces species are putatively associated with Tsuga canadensis, a tree species in regional decline. For five of the six Elaphomyces species, we report partially consumed ascomata or rodent fecal samples containing spores, indicating that small mammals play a key role in dispersing these Elaphomyces species and that the Elaphomyces are an important part of the small mammals’ diet.

Fungal denitrification has been increasingly investigated, but its community ecology is poorly understood due to the lack of culture-independent tools. In this work, four pairs of nirK-targeting primers were designed and evaluated for primer specificity and efficiency using thirty N2O-producing fungal cultures and an agricultural soil. All primers amplified nirK from fungi and soil, but their efficiency and specificity were different. A primer set, FnirK_F3/R2 amplified ∼80 % of tested fungi, including Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium, and Trichoderma, as compared to ∼40-70 % for other three primers. The nirK fragments of fungal and soil DNA amplified by FnirK_F3/R2 were phylogenetically related to denitrifying fungi in the orders Eurotiales, Hypocreales, and Sordariales; and clone sequences were also distributed in the clusters of Chaetomium, Metarhizium, and Myceliophthora that were uncultured from soil in our previous work. This proved the wide-range capability of primers for amplifying diverse denitrifying fungi from environment. However, our primers and recently-developed other primers amplified bacterial nirK from soil and this co-amplification of fungal and bacterial nirK was theoretically discussed. The FnirK_F3/R2 was further compared with published primers; results from clone libraries demonstrated that FnirK_F3/R2 was more specifically targeted on fungi and had broader taxonomical coverage than some others.

Background Viriditoxin is one of the ‘classical’ secondary metabolites produced by fungi and that has antibacterial and other activities; however, the mechanism of its biosynthesis has remained unknown. Results Here, a gene cluster (vdt) responsible for viriditoxin synthesis was identified, via a bioinformatics analysis of the genomes of Paecilomyces variotii and Aspergillus viridinutans that both are viriditoxin producers. The function of the eight-membered gene cluster of P. variotii was characterized by targeted gene disruptions, revealing the roles of each gene in the synthesis of this molecule and establishing its biosynthetic pathway, which includes a Baeyer–Villiger monooxygenase catalyzed reaction. Additionally, a predicted catalytically-inactive hydrolase was identified as being required for the stereoselective biosynthesis of (M)-viriditoxin. The subcellular localizations of two proteins (VdtA and VdtG) were determined by fusing these proteins to green fluorescent protein, to establish that at least two intracellular structures are involved in the compartmentalization of the synthesis steps of this metabolite. Conclusions The predicted pathway for the synthesis of viriditoxin was established by a combination of genomics, bioinformatics, gene disruption and chemical analysis processes. Hence, this work reveals the basis for the synthesis of an understudied class of fungal secondary metabolites and provides a new model species for understanding the synthesis of biaryl compounds with a chiral axis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40694-019-0072-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Fungi can colonize most of the substrata on Earth. Honey, a sugary food produced by bees (and other insects) has been studied little in terms of its fungal diversity. We have surveyed and evaluated the presence of xerotolerant and xerophilic fungi in a set of honey bee samples collected from across Spain. From 84 samples, a total of 104 fungal strains were isolated, and morphologically and phylogenetically characterized. We identified 32 species distributed across 16 genera, most of them belonging to the ascomycetous generaAspergillus,Bettsia,Candida,Eremascus,Monascus,Oidiodendron,Penicillium,Skoua,TalaromycesandZygosaccharomyces. As a result of this survey, eight new taxa are proposed: i.e. the new familyHelicoarthrosporaceae,two new genera,HelicoarthrosporumandStrongyloarthrosporuminOnygenales; three new species ofEurotiales,Talaromyces affinitatimellis,T. basipetosporus, andT. brunneosporus; and two new species ofMyxotrichaceae, Oidiodendron mellicola,andSkoua asexualis.

Soil is one of the main reservoirs of fungi. The aim of this study was to study the richness of ascomycetes in a set of soil samples from Mexico and Spain. Fungi were isolated after 2% w/v phenol treatment of samples. In that way, several strains of the genus Penicillium were recovered. A phylogenetic analysis based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS), beta-tubulin (BenA), calmodulin (CaM), and RNA polymerase II subunit 2 gene (rpb2) sequences showed that four of these strains had not been described before. Penicillium melanosporum produces monoverticillate conidiophores and brownish conidia covered by an ornate brown sheath. Penicillium michoacanense and Penicillium siccitolerans produce sclerotia, and their asexual morph is similar to species in the section Aspergilloides (despite all of them pertaining to section Lanata-Divaricata). P. michoacanense differs from P. siccitolerans in having thick-walled peridial cells (thin-walled in P. siccitolerans). Penicillium sexuale differs from Penicillium cryptum in the section Crypta because it does not produce an asexual morph. Its ascostromata have a peridium composed of thick-walled polygonal cells, and its ascospores are broadly lenticular with two equatorial ridges widely separated by a furrow. All four new species are xerophilic. Despite the genus Penicillium containing more than 480 known species, they are rarely reported as xerophilic.

Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants use the antibiotics produced by ectosymbionts (Actinobacteria) to suppress the growth of Escovopsis spp., which are the specialized parasites of attine fungus gardens. However, the spectrum of activity of these bacteria and their interactions with insect immune systems have not been thoroughly studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the presence of symbiotic actinobacteria covering the entire cuticle of Acromyrmex subterraneus subterraneus (Forel) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) workers provides protection against two fungus species, Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschn.) Sorokin (Hypocreales), a persistent entomopathogenic, and Aspergillus ochraceus G. Wilh. (Eurotiales), an opportunistic insect pathogen. We assessed the mortality rates of three groups of Ac. subterraneus subterraneus workers inoculated with a suspension of one of the two pathogens: external workers (EXT), internal workers with actinomycetes covering the whole body (INB), and internal workers without actinomycetes covering the whole body (INO). We also assessed the encapsulation response, which is a parameter of innate immunity, to determine whether the pathogens affect immune responses in the ant. All bioassays were conducted on workers from seven laboratory colonies of Ac. subterraneus subterraneus. Mortality tests showed that actinomycetes do protect the workers of group INB against M. anisopliae, but not against A. ochraceus. Regarding the encapsulation response, INB ants treated with A. ochraceus conidia exhibited immunosuppression due to this pathogen. All three groups of workers that received M. anisopliae conidia presented some degree of immunosuppression after pathogen exposure. These results indicate that workers without visible bacteria cover, specially the external workers (EXT), are more resistant to entomopathogenic fungi. Nevertheless, bacterial actinomycetes present in young workers are important in protecting them from ubiquitous entomopathogenic fungi.

Leaf-inhabiting endophytes belong to a diverse and active group of plant-associated fungi harboured in plant-rich tropical environments. Employing dilution-to-extinction cultivation and ITS sequencing, we assessed species richness, phylogeny and community composition of fungal endophytes within healthy leaves of three Ficus tree species ( F. religiosa , F. benjamina , and F. elastica ) naturally growing in the two Philippine forest reserves Mt. Makiling in Laguna and Mt. Palay–Palay in Cavite. Apart from a few basidiomycetes (3 orders, 6 genera), fungal isolates were abundantly ascomycetes (11 orders, 16 genera) and predominated by commonly known endophytic genera, such as Pseudocercospora , Phyllosticta , or Penicillium . Phylogenetic analysis revealed Capnodiales and Eurotiales as most OTU-rich clades and suggesting a high potential pathogen load in the investigated trees. Biodiversity analyses further revealed a higher similarity between the fungal species composition in the leaves of F. benjamina and F. elastica than to the one in F. religiosa . The observed higher abundance, species richness and similarity of the fungal community assemblage in the closely related host species F. benjamina and F. elastica , suggests an effect of host identity in structuring fungal endophytes community in the tropics.

First collections are reported for Elaphomyces species from Africa and Madagascar. On the basis of an ITS phylogeny, the authors question the monophyletic nature of family Elaphomycetaceae and of the genus Elaphomyces. The objective of this preliminary paper was not to propose a new phylogeny for Elaphomyces, but rather to draw attention to the very high dissimilarity among ITS sequences for Elaphomyces and to the unfortunate choice of species to represent the genus in most previous phylogenetic publications on Elaphomycetaceae and other cleistothecial ascomycetes. Our study highlights the need for examining the monophyly of this family and to verify the systematic status of Pseudotulostoma as a separate genus for stipitate species. Furthermore, there is an urgent need for an in-depth morphological study, combined with molecular sequencing of the studied taxa, to point out the phylogenetically informative characters of the discussed taxa.

Increasing numbers of fungal species have been described recently from semi-natural grassland soils, raising the conservation interest of these species-rich habitats. Here, we characterize the soil fungal community inhabiting six fairy rings in a montane grassland of the Eastern Pre-Pyrenees through fungal DNA metabarcoding of ITS2 amplicons. Distinct soil fungal communities were observed outside of the rings compared to inside the ring areas. Higher abundances of fungi belonging to Pleosporales and Eurotiales were observed outside fairy rings, whereas zones belonging to the fairy rings showed higher abundances of Agaricales. Fungal diversity was higher inside the rings than outside. We found diverse saprotrophic or putative saprotrophic taxa associated with the studied rings, including the genera Clavaria, Psathyrella, Tricholoma, Amanita and Lycoperdon. These findings highlight the importance of particular keystone taxa in the structuring of fungal communities and their effect on the overall grassland fungal community., This study was developed within the projects BIOGEI (CGL 2013-49142-C2-1-R) and CAPAS (CGL 2010-22378-C03-01) funded by the Spanish Science Foundation (FECYT) jointly with the FPU programme (FPU12/05849) run by the Spanish Ministry of Education. Funding from the project IMAGINE (CGL 2017-85490-R) allowed the completion of this work.

Aspergillus fuscicans, a new species within Aspergillus section Usti from Argentinean semi-arid soil is introduced. Molecular, morphological and physiological studies were conducted, based on sequence analysis of partial β-tubulin and calmodulin sequence data. Aspergillus fuscicans formed a distinct, well-defined clade related to A. calidoustus and A. pseudodeflectus. In addition, A. fuscicans was able to grow and sporulate at 37 ºC, and had a negative Ehrlich reaction. Morphological and physiological features could be used to differentiate the new species from its phylogenetically related taxa. Fil: Romero, Stella Maris. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; Argentina Fil: Comerio, Ricardo Mario. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional La Pampa-San Luis. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Anguil; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Barrera, Viviana Andrea. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Microbiología y Zoología Agrícola; Argentina Fil: Romero, Andrea Irene. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; Argentina

Artemisia is a plant genus highly studied for its medicinal applications. The studies on the associated fungal endophytes are scarce. Ten plants specimens of Artemisia thuscula from Tenerife and La Palma were sampled to isolate the endophytic fungi. Identification of the endophytic fungi was based on morphology, Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) and Large Subunit (LSU) regions sequencing and indicates 37 fungal species affiliated to 25 fungal genera. Colonization rate varied among plants (CR = 25% to 92.11%). The most dominant colonizers found were Alternaria alternata (CF = 18.71%), Neofusicoccum sp. (CF = 8.39%) and Preussia sp. (CF = 3.23). Tendency for host specificity of most endophytic fungal species was observed. Sorensen–Dice index revealed that of 45 cases in the matrix, 27 of them were of zero similarity. Further, only one case was found to have 57% similarity (TF2 and TF7) and one case with 50% similarity (TF1 and TF4). The rest of the cases had values ranging between 11% and 40% similarity. Diversity indices like Brillouin, Margalef species richness, Simpson index of diversity and Fisher’s alpha, revealed plants from La Palma with higher values than plants from Tenerife. Three nutrient media (i.e., potato dextrose agar―PDA, lignocellulose agar―LCA, and tomato juice agar―V8) were used in a case study and revealed no differences in terms of colonization rate when data was averaged. Colonization frequency showed several species with preference for nutrient medium (63% of the species were isolated from only one nutrient medium). For the phylogenetic reconstruction using the Bayesian method, 54 endophytic fungal ITS sequences and associated GenBank sequences were analyzed. Ten orders (Diaporthales, Dothideales, Botryosphaeriales, Hypocreales, Trichosphaeriales, Amphisphaeriales, Xylariales, Capnodiales, Pleosporales and Eurotiales) were recognized. Several arrangements of genera draw the attention, like Aureobasidium (Dothideales) and Aplosporella (Botryosphaeriales) which are clustered with a recent ancestor (BS = 0.97).

Precise knowledge of the fungal succession in the litter of coniferous forests will facilitate understanding litter decomposition, in which fungi play a major role. We investigated the development of a fungal community during 3 yr of Picea abies litter decomposition in three control forest sites and three sites where bark-beetle attacks had killed adult trees and stopped the yearly input of fresh litter, using both cultivation from needles and terminal restriction-fragment length polymorphism analysis. The two methods revealed similar dominant species during the fungal succession. Members of the Dothideales, Eurotiales and Helotiales predominated during the initial stage of decay, whereas members of Agaricales appeared only occasionally during this stage. The onset of the latter began from the seventh month, with a peak occurring after 1 yr. Bark-beetle attacks hastened litter decomposition and decreased fungal diversity only during the initial stages of decomposition.

National Agrobiodiversity Center, National Academy of Agricultural Science, RDA, Wanju 565-851, KoreaABSTRACT: Halophytes of seven species, Carex scabrifolia Steud., Limonium tetragonum Bullock, Salicornia europaea L., Suaedaglauca Bunge, Suaeda japonica Makino, Suaeda maritima Dumort., and Triglochin maritimum L. were collected from the TaeanPeninsula. Thirty-seven endophytic fungi were isolated from the root of halophytes, and analyzed using the DNA sequences ofinternal transcribed spacers (ITS). The diversity of all endophytic fungi was analyzed using diversity indices. The endophytic fungiassociated with the halophytes belonged to seven orders; Eurotiales (78%), Capnodiales (5%), Hypocreales (5%), Agaricales (3%),Corticiales (3%), Glomerellales (3%), and Pleosporales (3%). At the phylum level, the endophytic fungi were composed of Asco-mycota and Basidiomycota. At the genus level, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Paecilomyces, Penicillium, Phanerochaete,Schizophyllum, Talaromyces, and Verticillium were confirmed. Among them, Penicillium was the most abundant in the roots of thehalophytes. This study analyzed the distribution and diversity of endophytic fungi on halophytes in the Taean Peninsula.KEYWORDS

In this study, the biodiversity of thermophilous fungi in two different commercial composts was investigated using culture-based methods, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and tag-encoded pyrosequencing. 454 pyrosequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region recovered a total of 175 OTUs between the two composts. The Ascomycota was the dominant phylum in both composts (90 % of all sequences recovered) with the thermophilic-rich orders Sordariales and Eurotiales being the most numerous. Molecular studies demonstrated the frequent presence of several thermophilic (Scytalidium thermophilum, Myriococcum thermophilum) and thermotolerant (Pseudallescheria boydii, Corynascus verrucosus and Coprinopsis sp.) fungi in the composts, despite the absence of these species from the culture-based analysis. Conversely, Aspergillus fumigatus and Mycocladus corymbifer, which were the dominant species in cultivation analyses, had very low representation in molecular studies. The results show that the previous picture of the dominant thermophilous fungi in compost communities derived from culture-based analysis has been biased, and that composting environments represent a potentially rich resource of novel fungi.

We describe two novel fungi isolated from soil samples collected in Northern Argentina and belonging to the family Aspergillaceae of the order Eurotiales: Leiothecium cristatum sp. nov. and Aspergillus posadasensis sp. nov. Leiothecium cristatum sp. nov., represented by the ex-type strain FMR 11998T ( = CBS 134260T = NBRC 109843T), is distinguishable morphologically from the type species of the genus, Leiothecium ellipsoideum, by the presence of irregular reticulate ascospores with two prominent equatorial crests, and Aspergillus posadasensis sp. nov., represented by the ex-type strain FMR 12168T ( = CBS 134259T = NBRC 109845T), is differentiated from Aspergillus acanthosporus, the nearest species phylogenetically, by its non-sclerotioid ascomata and a lack of an asexual stage on all culture media tested. The taxonomic proposals are supported by the analysis of the sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region, the D1–D2 domains of the 28S rRNA gene, the fragments of the RNA polymerase II largest subunit, and the putative chaperonin complex related to TCP-1, β-tubulin and calmodulin genes.

Forty-two endophytic fungi were isolated from the roots of coastal plants, such as Aster sphathulifolius Maxim., Astertripolium L., Phragmites austral is, and Puccinellia nipponica Ohwi, naturally growing in Taean peninsula. The identity of theendophytic fungal strains was analyzed using the sequence of internal transcribed spacer regions. All fungi belonged to the phylum Ascomycota, and they were classified into eight orders (Botryosphaeriales, Capnodiales, Diaporthales, Dothideales, Eurotiales, Heloti ales, Hypocreales, and Pleosporales) and thirteen genera (Altern aria, Aureobasidium, Cadophora, Cladosporium,Davidiella, Diaporthe, Fusarium, Gibberella, Macrophomina, Metarhizium, Neosartorya, Penicillium, and Phoma). Among the analyzed fungi, the fungi belonging to the genus Penicillium in Eurotiales were the most widely distributed. The host plant Astertripolium L. was found to contain the most diverse endophytic fungal species among the coastal plants.

Background Sorbicillinoids are a family of complex cyclic polyketides produced by only a small number of distantly related ascomycete fungi such as Trichoderma (Sordariomycetes) and Penicillium (Eurotiomycetes). In T. reesei, they are synthesized by a gene cluster consisting of eight genes including two polyketide synthases (PKS). To reconstruct the evolutionary origin of this gene cluster, we examined the occurrence of these eight genes in ascomycetes. Results A cluster comprising at least six of them was only found in Hypocreales (Acremonium chrysogenum, Ustilaginoidea virens, Trichoderma species from section Longibrachiatum) and in Penicillium rubens (Eurotiales). In addition, Colletotrichum graminicola contained the two pks (sor1 and sor2), but not the other sor genes. A. chrysogenum was the evolutionary eldest species in which sor1, sor2, sor3, sor4 and sor6 were present. Sor5 was gained by lateral gene transfer (LGT) from P. rubens. In the younger Hypocreales (U. virens, Trichoderma spp.), the cluster evolved by vertical transfer, but sor2 was lost and regained by LGT from C. graminicola. SorB (=sor2) and sorD (=sor4) were symplesiomorphic in P. rubens, whereas sorA, sorC and sorF were obtained by LGT from A. chrysogenum, and sorE by LGT from Pestalotiopsis fici (Xylariales). The sorbicillinoid gene cluster in Trichoderma section Longibrachiatum is under strong purifying selection. The T. reesei sor genes are expressed during fast vegetative growth, during antagonism of other fungi and regulated by the secondary metabolism regulator LAE1. Conclusions Our findings pinpoint the evolution of the fungal sorbicillinoid biosynthesis gene cluster. The core cluster arose in early Hypocreales, and was complemented by LGT. During further speciation in the Hypocreales, it became subject to birth and death evolution in selected lineages. In P. rubrens (Eurotiales), two cluster genes were symplesiomorphic, and the whole cluster formed by LGT from at least two different fungal donors. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0834-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

On the basis of a study of ITS sequences, Vidal et al. (Rev. Iber. Micol. 17: 22, 2000) recommended that the genus Chrysosporium be restricted to species belonging to Onygenales. Using nrLSU genes, we studied the majority of clades examined by Vidal et al. and showed that currently accepted species in Chrysosporium phylogenetically belong in six clades in three orders. Surprisingly, the xerophilic species of Chrysosporium, long thought to be a single grouping away from the majority of Chrysosporium species, occupy two clades, one in Leotiales, the other in Eurotiales. Species accepted in Leotiales are related to the sexual genus Bettsia. One is the type species B. alvei, and related asexual strains classified as C. farinicola, the second is C. fastidium transferred to Bettsia as B. fastidia. Species in the Eurotiales are transferred to Xerochrysium gen. nov., where the accepted species are X. xerophilum and X. dermatitidis, the correct name for C. inops on transfer to Xerochrysium. All accepted species are extreme xerophiles, found in dried and concentrated foods.

In the course of a global survey of the indoor mycobiota, we sampled and analysed settled dust from 87 buildings from 14 countries, using both a modified dilution-to-extinction method and 454-pyrosequencing. Rasamsonia is a recently established genus including thermotolerant or thermophilic species, five of which have been isolated from humans, including the emerging pathogen R. argillacea. A new species, R. pulvericola, was recovered from one residence in Songkhla, Thailand, and is morphologically characterised and compared phylogenetically with other members of the genus. Rasamsonia pulvericola forms a clade with R. brevistipitata and shares morphological characters such as usually biverticillate and never terverticillate conidiophores, and subglobose to ellipsoidal conidia. It has a lower maximum growth temperature and is the first mesophilic species added to the genus. The ITS sequence of R. pulvericola was not detected in the 454-pyrosequencing data for Thailand or other countries, but a similar ITS sequence was detected in Micronesia, probably representing another undescribed Rasamsonia species.

Four species of the sequestrate fungal genus Elaphomyces are reported from New Zealand: Elaphomyces bollardii sp. nov. associated with Leptospermum spp. and Kunzea ericoides, E. luteicrustus sp. nov. associated with Nothofagus menziesii, E. putridus sp. nov. associated with Nothofagus spp., and an unnamed species associated with Nothofagus spp.

With the change to one scientific name for fungal species, numerous papers have been published with recommendations for use or protection of competing generic names in major groups of ascomycetes. Although genera in each group of fungi were carefully considered, some competing generic names were overlooked. This paper makes recommendations for additional competing genera not considered in previous papers. Chairs of relevant Working Groups of the ICTF were consulted in the development of these recommendations. A number of generic names need protection, specifically Amarenographium over Amarenomyces, Amniculicola over Anguillospora, Balansia over Ephelis, Claviceps over Sphacelia, Drepanopeziza over Gloeosporidiella and Gloeosporium, Golovinomyces over Euoidium, Holwaya over Crinium, Hypocrella over Aschersonia, Labridella over Griphosphaerioma, Metacapnodium over Antennularia, and Neonectria over Cylindrocarpon and Heliscus. The following new combinations are made: Amniculicola longissima, Atichia maunauluana, Diaporthe columnaris, D. liquidambaris, D. longiparaphysata, D. palmicola, D. tersa, Elsinoe bucidae, E. caricae, E. choisyae, E. paeoniae, E. psidii, E. zorniae, Eupelte shoemakeri, Godronia myrtilli, G. raduloides, Sarcinella mirabilis, S. pulchra, Schizothyrium jamaicense, and Trichothallus niger. Finally, one new species name, Diaporthe azadirachte, is introduced to validate an earlier name, and the conservation of Discula with a new type, D. destructiva, is recommended.

The discovery of an interesting new synnematous Talaromyces species from Argentinean semi-arid soil has enlarged the number of synnema producing species. Talaromyces systylus sp. nov., phylogenetically distinct from other species in the genus, was characterized by the production of indeterminate synnemata on Malt Extract Agar and coarsely rough-walled, globose conidia and conidial chains associated in columns. Optimal growing temperature was 30 ºC. Talaromyces systylus was compared with other related species, morphologically and phylogenetically based on ITS, BenA and CaM markers. Fil: Romero, Stella Maris. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; Argentina Fil: Romero, Andrea Irene. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; Argentina Fil: Barrera, Viviana Andrea. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Microbiología y Zoología Agrícola; Argentina Fil: Comerio, Ricardo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación En Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Microbiología y Zoología Agrícola; Argentina

Sponges are well documented to harbor large amounts of microbes. Though it is known that sponge-derived fungi are important sources for marine natural products, the phylogenetic diversity and biological function of sponge-associated fungi remain largely unknown. In this study, the diversity of culturable endozoic fungi in sponges from the South China Sea was revealed based on the ITS phylogenetic analysis. Meanwhile the fungal potential for producing bioactive natural products was estimated according to the detection of Beta-ketosynthase in the polyketide synthase (PKS) gene cluster and cytotoxic activity bioassay. As a result, diverse fungi including 14 genera (Aspergillus, Penicillium, Scolecobasidium, Eurotium, Alternaria, Fusarium, Hypocreales, Yarrowia, Candida, Hypoxylon, Sporidiobolus, Schizophyllum, Bjerkandera, and Trichosporon) in ten orders (Xylariales, Moniliales, Pleosporales, Saccharomycetales, Hypocreales, Eurotiales, Sporidiobolales, Agaricales, Aphyllophorales and Tremellales) of phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were isolated with Aspergillus as the predominant component in the culturable fungal community. Particularly, genera Schizophyllum, Sporidiobolus, and Bjerkandera in phylum Basidiomycota and genus Yarrowia in phylum Ascomycota were isolated from marine sponges for the first time. PKS genes were detected in 12 isolates suggesting their potential for synthesizing PKS compounds. Among the 12 isolates with PKS genes, 9 isolates displayed strong in vitro cytotoxic activity (e.g. IC50 < 50 μg/ml) against human cancer cell lines A-549, Bel-7402, A-375 and MRC-5. This study demonstrates the phylogenetically diverse endozoic fungi in South China Sea sponges, and highlights the potential of sponge-associated fungi in producing biologically active natural products.