New record of the fungus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coniochaeta prunicola</Emphasis> on peaches from Slovakia

The first record of Coniochaeta prunicola Damm & Crous (Coniochaetales, Sordariomycetes, Ascomycota) as a pathogen of Persica vulgaris Mill. described and illustrated from Nitra district, Slovakia. C. prunicola was isolated from symptomatic leaves of host tree and based on morphological attributes identified for the first time as a causative agent of peach tree damage. C. prunicola is characterized by dark brown ascomata clothed with setae, the fasciculate, unitunicate, cylindrical asci and broadly almond-shaped, ellipsoidal ascospores with a longitudinal germ slit.     

Two new species of pyrenomycetous ascomycetes from New Caledonia

Two new species of Pyrenomycetes from forest soil in New Caledonia,Anthostomella pacifica andChaetomium novaecaledonicum, are described and illustrated.Anthostomella pacifica is characterized by non-ostiolate ascomata, cylindrical asci with an amyloid apical apparatus, and two-celled ascospores (dark apical cylindrical and hyaline basal dwarfed cells) with longitudinal germ slits.Chaetomium novae-caledonicum is characterized by ostiolate ascomata, straight terminal hairs, arcuate lateral hairs with a recurved tip, and very small, ovoid-flattened ascospores.This research was supported in part by Monbusho International Scientific Research Program: Field Research, No. 05041093.     

Two new species ofHeleococcum withAcremonium anamorphs

Two new species ofHeleococcum (a cleistothecial nectrioid genus in the Hypocreaceae) are described and illustrated.Heleococcum alatosporum, isolated from Indonesian soil, is recognized by the production of salmon-colored ascomata, cylindrical asci, and hyaline, small, bicellular ascospores with walls that are verruculose and ornamented with longitudinal ridges.Heleococcum inapertum, isolated from Philippine soil, is characterized by yellow ascomata, clavate asci, and pale yellow, middle-sized, bicellular, verruculose to weakly striate ascospores surrounded with a hyaline sheath. Anamorphs of the new species are included inAcremonium. A key to the accepted species of the genus is provided.     

A new species ofLasiobolidium from Californian soil

Lasiobolidium gracile isolated from a soil sample collected from California, USA is described as a new species. This species is characterized by yellowish brown to reddish brown, nonostiolate ascomata with numerous, long straight appendages and a translucent peridium, subglobose to broadly clavate asci, hyaline to pale yellowish brown, ellipsoidal ascospores. It differs from the other species ofLasiobolidium in the straight and narrow appendages and the large ascospores. A key is presented separating the seven known species.     

Emericella qinqixianii, a new species from desert soil in China

Emericella qinqixianii, a new species isolated from desert soil from Sanchakou, Aksu, Qiemo, Yuli, Yutian, and the Taklimakan desert 100 km inland from Minfeng, Xinjiang Province, China, is described and illustrated. It is characterized by grayish yellow to olive brown, non-ostiolate ascomata surrounded by hyaline to pale yellowish brown hülle cells, membranaceous peridium, prototunicate asci, and violet-brown, lenticular ascospores with two equatorial crests, smooth convex surfaces, and long filiform appendages. It hasAspergillus anamorph with biseriate aspergilla.     

New species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clohiesia</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paraniesslia</Emphasis> collected from freshwater habitats in China

Two fungi collected from submerged woody debris were found to represent hitherto undescribed species of the ascomycete genera Clohiesia and Paraniesslia. They are described as Clohiesia curvispora sp. nov. and Paraniesslia aquatica sp. nov. based on morphological characters. Clohiesia curvispora is characterized by immersed ascomata under a clypeus, and unitunicate, cylindrical asci containing one-celled, curved, elongate-fusiform ascospores. Paraniesslia aquatica is characterized by small, superficial, setose ascomata, and unitunicate, clavate asci containing verrucose, brown ascospores. Each species is illustrated with light micrographs and compared with similar taxa in this article.     

Pandanicola graminella comb. nov. fromFestuca filiformis in the Canary Islands, West Africa

Anthostomella graminella has been re-examined and ascomata were found to be immersed beneath a clypeus. Asci were unitunicate, broad cylindrical, and lacked an apical apparatus, while ascospores were inequilaterally ellipsoidal, 1–2 seriate, brown to light brown and unicellular, with bipolar germ pores. Based on these characters,A. graminella is transferred toPandanicola. An illustration of this species and a tabulated comparison of this species withPandanicola calocarpa is given.     

Two new ascomycetes from rainforest litter in Costa Rica

Two new ascomycetes, Boerlagiomyces costaricensis (Pleosporales) and Scopinella musciformis (Sordariales sensu lato), from litter samples collected in rainforests of Costa Rica, are described and illustrated. Boerlagiomyces costaricensis has globose, ostiolate ascomata covered by numerous setae-like hairs; cylindrical, fissitunicate asci without apical structures; and large, fusiform, muriform, hyaline to pale brown ascospores. Scopinella musciformis is characterized by ostiolate ascomata with a few compact clusters of hypha-like hairs distributed on the peridial surface and a long neck; ovate to ellipsoidal unitunicate asci; and small quadrangular ascospores with diagonal germ slits.     

Emericella appendiculata, a new species from Chinese soil

Emericella appendiculata, a new species isolated from soil of the Pamire Plateau, is described and illustrated. It is characterized by grayish green non-ostiolate ascomata surrounded by a thick layer of hülle cells, membranaceous peridium, prototunicate asci, violet-brown, lenticular ascospores which are ornamented by two stellate equatorial crests, capitate convex surfaces, and long filiform appendages, and anAspergillus anamorph with biseriate conidiogenous cells.     

Apiosordaria antarctica and Thielavia antarctica, two new ascomycetes from Antarctica

Two new species of ascomycetes, Apiosordaria antarctica, isolated from soil, and Thielavia antarctica, isolated from a sample of the lichen Usnea cf. aurantio-atra, both collected on King George Island (Antarctica), are described and illustrated. Apiosordaria antarctica is characterized by ostiolate ascomata with agglutinated hairs, eight-spored, uniseriate and cylindrical asci, and two-celled, irregularly navicular ascospores, with an upper cell ornamented with very small warts and with an apical germ pore. Thielavia antarctica is characterized by nonostiolate ascomata, with a thick peridium, eight-spored, cylindrical asci, uniseriate, oblate, ovoid ascospores, a slightly protruding apical germ pore, and a phialidic anamorph.     

A new species ofRoumegueriella

A new species ofRoumegueriella (Ascomycetes; Hypocreales),R. pulchella, is described and illustrated. This fungus is characterized by its rapid growth on Czapek-yeast extract and YpSs agars at 37°C, bright yellow non-ostiolate ascomata, translucent membranaceous peridium, broadly clavate asci, and hyaline one-celled subglobose-ovoid ascospores ornamented with prominent spines. The holotype was isolated from soil in a sugarcane field in Okinawa, Japan.     

Talaromyces lagunensis,a new species from Philippine soil

A new species ofTalaromyces (Ascomycetes; Trichocomaceae) with aPenicillium anamorph,T. lagunensis, is described and illustrated. This fungus is characterized by its extremely restricted growh on Czapek-yeast extract agar, light yellow to light orange ascomata with a telaperidium, catenate, pyriform or ellipsoidal asci, ellipsoidal or subglobose ascospores with a microtuberculate wall, short conidiophores with an irregular, mostly monoverticillate to biverticillate penicillus, and subglobose to ovoid conidia. The holotype was isolated from forest soil in the Philippines.     

Bambusicolous fungi in Japan (6): Katumotoa, a new genus of phaeosphaeriaceous ascomycetes

A new genus, Katumotoa, is established for a single species, K. bambusicola, collected from culms of Sasa kurilensis. Morphological differences between Katumotoa and some related genera are noted. Katumotoa is characterized by perithecioid ascomata, thin ascomal wall composed of small pseudoparenchymatous cells, cellular pseudoparaphyses, fissitunicate asci, and apiosporous fusiform ascospores with bipolar mucilaginous sheath. From these features, it is considered that the genus belongs to Phaeosphaeriaceae in Pleosporales.     

Conlarium duplumascospora gen. et. sp. nov. and Jobellisia guangdongensis sp. nov. from freshwater habitats in China

Conlarium duplumascospora gen. et. sp. nov. and Jobellisia guangdongensis sp. nov. are described and illustrated from submerged wood collected from Guangdong Province, China. Conlarium duplumascospora is characterized by gregarious, coriaceous and beaked ascomata; cylindrical, unitunicate asci with a bipartite apical ring; biseriate, fusiform, hyaline, 0-5-septate ascospores with or without appendages; and anamorph with muriform conidia. Jobellisia guangdongensis is characterized by globose to subglobose, gregarious and papillate ascomata; three-layered peridium; cylindrical, unitunicate asci with a refractive apical ring; and one-septate, fusiform, greenish brown ascospores. Sequence analyses of partial nuclear large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU rDNA) were performed to infer the phylogenetic affinities of these new taxa. A key to species of Jobellisia is provided.     

A new species ofClohiesia from Hong Kong

Clohiesia lignicola sp. nov. (freshwater ascomycetes) is introduced based on a specimen collected on submerged wood in the Tung Chung River, Hong Kong. Ascomata are clypeate, asci are cylindric-clavate with a relatively massive apical apparatus and ascospores are fusoid-ellipsoidal.Clohiesia lignicola differs fromC. corticola in having wider asci and wider fusoid-ellipsoidal ascospores, and larger ascomata.Clohiesia lignicola is described and illustrated with light micrographs and is also compared with species in the genus,Annulatascus.     

Two new species ofTalaromyces from Taiwan and Japan

Two new species ofTalaromyces, isolated from soils in Taiwan and Japan, are described and illustrated.Talaromyces eburneus, associated with aGeosmithia anamorph, is characterized by off-white colony on oatmeal agar, small pale yellow ascomata, and subglobose to ovoid ascospores with a smooth wall.Talaromyces muroii is characterized by restricted growth on Czapek agar, luteous ascomata, which are initiated by paired gametangia like those seen in members of the seriesFlavi, ellipsoidal and nearly smooth ascospores, and the absence of an anamorph.     

Poroleprieuria, a new xylariaceous genus from Mexico

Poroleprieuria gen. nov. is described and illustrated to accommodate P. rogersii in the Xylariaceae, Xylariales. This ascomycete, known only from the type collection, is characterized by reniform, light brown, smooth ascospores with a germ pore; cylindrical, persistent asci lacking an apical apparatus, septate persistent paraphyses, and erumpent, erect, dark brown, fragile, subcylindrical stromata. The characteristics of this xylariaceous fungus were compared with those of some other ascomycetes having superficially similar cylindrical stromata or ascospores with germ pores.     

New and rare microfungi from the island of Hachijo-jima

Two striking fungi, isolated from soils from the island of Hachijo-jima in Japan, are described and illustrated. One of these represents a new species ofTalaromyces (Ascomycetes), for which the nameTalaromyces hachijoensis is proposed. The new species is distinctive among all other recognized species in its restricted growth on common media, yellow ascomata characterized by asci developing in chains, striate ascospores, and the absence of an anamorph. The other isHeterocephalum taiense, a rare hyphomycete which has only previously been recorded from lvory Coast soil and probably from Panama soil.     

Morphology and development of Nigrosabulum globosum, a cleistothecial coprophile in the Bionectriaceae (Hypocreales)

Recent DNA sequence analyses indicated that Nigrosabulum globosum is a cleistothecial representative of the Bionectriaceae in the Hypocreales, but morphological characters supporting this relationship are unknown. Using light and electron microscopy we followed the development of the ascomata of this species, from the formation of gametangia through to the development of mature ascospores, and observed a series of characters that confirmed its hypocrealean affinities. These included the formation of a gel-filled centrum during early stages of ascoma development, the subsequent appearance of hyaline peridial tissue enclosed within a layer we interpret as representing a melanized uniloculate stroma, apically derived paraphyses, and an ascogenous system that gives rise to asci that were both cylindrical to clavate and globose. Ascospores, previously reported to be smooth, were ornamented with a honeycomb-like reticulum and were able to germinate within the ascoma. The carbonaceous outer (stromatic) walls of the mature, grit-like cleistothecia indicate possible resistance to UV radiation and desiccation. Furthermore, the complement of germinated ascospores would enable mature ascomata to function as propagules that could quickly initiate new growth when transferred to fresh substrate. Our reexamination of N. globosum also provides data that support the hypothesized close relationship with other bionectriaceous, cleistothecial coprophiles, i.e., species of Hapsidospora, and Bulbithecium in particular.