Two new species ofConiochaeta with a cephalothecoid peridium wall

Two new species ofConiochaeta, isolated from Japanese soils, are described and illustrated:C. cephalothecoides, which is characterized by dark brown ascomata clothed with short setae, cylindrical asci and ovoid to almond-shaped or pyriform ascospores with a longitudinal germ slit; andC. dumosa, which is characterized by dark brown ascomata clothed with short setae and dense hyphal hairs, cylindrical asci and ellipsoid-fusoid ascospores with a longitudinal germ slit. These species are distinguished from most species of the genus by the unique cephalothecoid peridium of their ascomata. The associated anamorphs of both species are assignable to the form-genusLecythophora.     

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.     

Phylogenetic investigations of Sordariaceae based on multiple gene sequences and morphology

The family Sordariaceae incorporates a number of fungi that are excellent model organisms for various biological, biochemical, ecological, genetic and evolutionary studies. To determine the evolutionary relationships within this group and their respective phylogenetic placements, multiple-gene sequences (partial nuclear 28S ribosomal DNA, nuclear ITS ribosomal DNA and partial nuclear β-tubulin) were analysed using maximum parsimony and Bayesian analyses. Analyses of different gene datasets were performed individually and then combined to generate phylogenies. We report that Sordariaceae, with the exclusion Apodus and Diplogelasinospora, is a monophyletic group. Apodus and Diplogelasinospora are related to Lasiosphaeriaceae. Multiple gene analyses suggest that the spore sheath is not a phylogenetically significant character to segregate Asordaria from Sordaria. Smooth-spored Sordaria species (including so-called Asordaria species) constitute a natural group. Asordaria is therefore congeneric with Sordaria. Anixiella species nested among Gelasinospora species, providing further evidence that non-ostiolate ascomata have evolved from ostiolate ascomata on several independent occasions. This study agrees with previous studies that show heterothallic Neurospora species to be monophyletic, but that homothallic ones may have a multiple origins. Although Gelasinospora and Neurospora are closely related and not resolved as monophyletic groups, there is insufficient evidence to place currently accepted Gelasinospora and Neurospora species into the same genus.     

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.     

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.     

Thielavia aurantiaca, a new species from Japanese soil

A new species ofThielavia (T. aurantiaca) isolated from field soil collected from Osaka is described and illustrated. The fungus is distinguished from other known species by having ascomata covered with yellowish orange mycelium and smaller size of ascomata and ascospores. A chlamydospore-like anamorph is formed.     

A new species ofNeosartorya from Taiwan soil

A new species ofNeosartorya, N. multiplicata (anam.Aspergillus multiplicatus), isolated from soil collected at Houli, Taichung, in Taiwan, is described and illustrated. The species is characterized by its restricted growth on Czapek agar, white ascomata, nearly globose ascospores with ribbed surface ornamentation of several linear ridges, and a limited development of conidia on common media. A key to all accepted species of the genus is provided.     

三江平原农田土壤跳虫多尺度空间自相关性

土壤动物多尺度空间自相关性特征是土壤动物空间异质性和空间共存格局研究的重要基础。以土壤跳虫为研究对象,以中国科学院三江平原沼泽湿地生态实验站为研究区,于2011年8月和10月,选取具30 a以上耕作历史的旱地为实验样地,以5 m为步长设置一个50 m×50 m的实验样地,采用地统计中的全局Moran's I指数和局部Moran's I指数相结合的方法,研究土壤跳虫多尺度空间自相关性特征。全局空间自相关结果表明,土壤跳虫群落总密度和多数跳虫种类存在显著的多尺度空间自相关特征,多数为显著的正的空间自相关性,形成明显的空间集群。局部空间自相关结果表明,土壤跳虫群落总密度和所有跳虫种类均存在显著的局部空间自相关性,在局部地区形成"高—高"和/或"低—低"的空间集群,并和"高—低"和/或"低—高"的空间孤立区相伴发生,即形成"斑块"和"孔隙"相间分布的水平镶嵌格局;这种镶嵌格局具一定的时间动态特征,从夏季到秋季斑块大小和空间分布范围略有变化。研究表明,土壤跳虫具有明显的多尺度空间自相关性;空间集群是土壤跳虫的常见空间分布格局,在样地内形成"斑块"和"孔隙"相间分布的水平镶嵌格局,这种格局具年内时间变异性。     

Tricholoma matsutake 1-Ocen-3-ol and methyl cinnamate repel mycophagous Proisotoma minuta (Collembola: Insecta)

Two major volatiles produced by the mycelia and fruiting bodies of Tricholoma matsutake (1-octen-3-ol and methyl cinnamate) repel a mycophagous collembolan, Proisotoma minuta. Aggregation of the collembolans on their diet was significantly inhibited by exposure to 1 ppm methyl cinnamate or 10 to 100 ppm 1-octen-3-ol. The aggregation activity decreased dose-dependently upon exposure to 1-octen-3-ol at concentrations higher than 0.01 ppm. Aggregation in the presence of methyl cinnamate exhibited three phases: no significant effect at concentrations ranging from 0.001 to 0.1 ppm, significant inhibition from 1 to 100 ppm, and strong inhibition at 1,000 ppm. These results may explain why certain collembolan species do not prefer T. matsutake fruiting bodies.     

Revisiting the phylogeny of Wolbachia in Collembola

The endosymbiont Wolbachia has been detected in a few parthenogenetic collembolans sampled in Europe and America, including three species of Poduromorpha, two species of Entomobryomorpha, and two species of Neelipleona. Based on 16S rRNA and ftsZ gene sequences, most of the Wolbachia infecting parthenogenetic collembolans were characterized as members of supergroup E and showed concordant phylogeny with their hosts. However, the two neelipleonan symbionts form another unique group, indicating that Wolbachia has infected parthenogenetic collembolans multiple times. In this study, five parthenogenetic collembolan species were identified as hosts of Wolbachia, and four new Wolbachia strains were reported for four collembolan species sampled in China, respectively, including a neelipleonan strain from Megalothorax incertus (wMinc). Our results demonstrated that the Wolbachia multilocus sequence typing (MLST) system is superior to the 16S rRNA + ftsZ approach for phylogenetic analyses of collembolan Wolbachia. The MLST system assigned these Wolbachia of parthenogenetic collembolans to supergroup E as a unique clade, which included wMinc, supporting the monophyletic origin of Wolbachia in parthenogenetic collembolan species. Moreover, our data suggested supergroup E as one of the most divergent lineages in Wolbachia and revealed the discrepancy between the phylogenies of Wolbachia from parthenogenetic collembolans and their hosts, which may result from the high level of genetic divergence between collembolan Wolbachia, in association with the geographic differentiation of their hosts, or the possible horizontal transmission of Wolbachia between different collembolan species.     

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.     

Patchiness and compensatory growth in a fungus-Collembola system

The compensatory growth potential of a grazed fungal biomass was mathematically expressed as a function of patchiness in its distribution and demonstrated in an experiment using the fungivorous collembolan Onychiurus armatus and the soil fungi Verticillium bulbillosum and Penicillium spinulosum. The model addresses the regrowth potential in relation to patch fragmentation, travelling time and consumption rate of the collembolan and the mean relative growth rate of the fungus. It suggests that the mean relative growth rate required for regrowth decreases with patch fragmentation and increases with the mean growth rate of the fungus. The experiments were performed with a system of soil-filled vials provided with fungi and collembolans. The size of the vials and the length of the tubes connecting them were varied to give different patch sizes and travelling times. The respiratory activity of fungi after grazing increased as a unit of mycelium was distributed into smaller connected vials. The slow growing species V. bulbillosum showed a greater but delayed response to grazing in comparison with the fast growing P. spinulosum. An increased travelling time delayed the growth response in both species.     

Taxonomy of someDiploschistes spp. (lichenized ascomycetes,Thelotremataceae) containing gyrophoric acid

Three species which contain both gyrophoric and lecanoric acids and possess perithecioid ascomata are recognized in the genusDiploschistes. D. badius andD. gyrophoricus are described as new, whileD. subcupreus is reduced to synonymy withD. sticticus. Two species occur in the southern hemisphere, whileD. badius is found in N. America.     

New and interesting species ofEurotium from Chinese soil

Eurotium taklimakanense, a new species isolated from desert soil in the Taklimakan desert, Xinjiang Province, China, is described and illustrated. It is characterized by light yellow to reddish yellow colonies on Czapek's agar with 70% (w/v) sucrose, yellow ascomata, broadly lenticular ascospores with conspicuously irregular equatorial crests and tuberculate or verrucose convex surfaces, and anAspergillus anamorph.Eurotium cristatum is also described as a new record from China. It is characterized by light yellow colonies on Czapek's agar with 70% sucrose, yellow ascomata, broadly lenticular ascospores with two equatorial crests and echinulate convex surfaces, and small tuberculate conidia.     

Cleome monophylla essential oil and its constituents as tick (Rhipicephalus appendiculatus) and maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) repellents

The repellency of the essential oil of the shrubCleome monophylla (Family: Capparidaceae) and identified constituents of the oil were evaluated against the livestock tick,Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and the maize weevil,Sitophillus zeamais. In a tick climbing repellency bioassay, the oil ofC. monophylla exhibited repellency which, at the highest dose, was comparable to that of the commercial arthropod repellent N,N-diethyl toluamide (DEET). In a Y-tube olfactometer bioassay,C. monophylla oil showed higher or comparable repellency againstS. zeamais relative to DEET at all the doses tested. 14 Compounds were identified in theC. monophylla oil by GC, GC-MS and coinjection with authentic samples. Terpenolene was found to occur in largest quantity (14%) followed by 1-α-terpeneol (10%), pentacosane (9%), (α+β)-humulene (8%), phytol (5%) and 2-dodecanone (4%). The most repellent components againstR. appendiculatus andS. zeamais were 1-α-terpeneol and 2-dodecanone. The overall pattern of repellency activity of theC. monophylla constituents with respect to the two arthropods was, however, different. The potential ofC. monophylla in tick and maize weevil control is discussed.     

Bambusicolous fungi in Japan (3): a new combination, Kalmusia scabrispora

Leptosphaeria scabrispora collected from Phyllostachys bambusoides is reported from Japan. This species was described initially from China and has not been reported subsequently. Based on the morphological features of clypeate ascomata, long stipitate asci, and reddish-brown ascospores with median primary septum, it is transferred to the genus Kalmusia. The fungus produced a Leptodothiorella-like microconidial state in culture.     

Linocarpon angustatum sp. nov., andNeolinocarpon nypicola sp. nov. from petioles ofNypa fruticans, and a list of fungi from aerial parts of this host

Two new ascomycetes,Linocarpon angustatum sp. nov. andNeolinocarpon nypicola sp. nov., are described from petioles ofNypa fruticans in Malaysia.Linocarpon angustatum differs from species in the genus in having needle-shaped ascospores.Neolinocarpon nypicola differs from species in the genus in having filiform ascospores which gradually taper towards the ends, and ascomata developing within well developed stromata. These new species are compared with existing species and illustrated with interference light micrographs. The fungi known from aerial parts ofNypa fruticans are listed.     

New species and records of saprophytic ascomycetes (Myxotrichaceae) from decaying logs in the boreal forest

Decayed wood from fallen white spruce (Picea glauca) and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) collected in northeastern Alberta, Canada, was the source of new isolates of species in the ascomycete generaGymnostellatospora andPseudogymnoascus. In addition to new reports ofG. japonica, G. frigida andP. roseus, two new species are described.Gymnostellatospora canadensis sp. nov. resemblesG. japonica but differs in producing brown ascomata and in the formation of an arthroconidial anamorph.Gymnostellatospora subnuda sp. nov. is distinct in lacking differentiated peridial hyphae.Gymnostellatospora alpina was not found in decayed wood but is reviewed based on extralimital material. A dichtomous key to the five species ofGymnostellatospora is provided.     

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.     

New and interesting species ofNeosartorya from Brazilian soil

Neosartorya udagawae, a new heterothallic species isolated from Brazilian soil, is described and illustrated. It is characterized by dull green colony on malt extract agar, light yellow large ascomata, broadly lenticular ascospores with two equatorial or several irregular crests and tuberculate convex surfaces, and with anAspergillus anamorph.Neosartorya aureola is also described as a new record from Brazilian soil.