Fruiting ofLyophyllum tylicolor in plate culture on Soytoneglucose agar and urea-treated soil extract agar

Lyophyllum tylicolor, which forms mycelial basidia (and basidiospores), produced fruit-bodies when cultivated at 20°C under continuous illumination of 400–700 lux on agar plates containing Bacto-Soytone and glucose or an extract from urea-treated soil. Under these conditions, mycelial basidia were also observed on the Soytone-glucose agar, but not on the soil extract agar. In darkness, fruit-bodies and mycelial basidia were not observed on either medium. In culture on the soil extract agar, fruit-body primordia were produced at the position of the margin of the colony when it was transferred from darkness to continuous light; stipes did not elongate under illumination of ca. 2000 lux; and mycelial basidia and basidiospores, but not fruit-bodies, developed when glucose concentration in the medium was as high as 1% (w/v).     

Morphological and phylogenetic evidences unveil a novel species of Gyroporus (Gyroporaceae,Boletales) from Indian Himalaya

Repeated macrofungal forays to the east district of Sikkim followed by morphological and phylogenetic studies of collected wild mushrooms revealed an undescribed species, proposed here as Gyroporus paramjitii. This species is characterized by hemispheric to plane dark brown to brownish orange pileus, concolorous or darker stipe, snow white to pale yellow pore surface which is immutable when bruised, 2‐ to 4‐spored basidia, reniform to elliptic basidiospores, presence of pleurocystidia and cheilocystidia, absence of caulocystidia, trichoderm pattern of pileipellis and stipitipellis with encrusted erect hyphal elements and occurrence under Castanopsis sp. Macro‐ and micro‐morphological details coupled with molecular phylogenetic analyses (based on nrITS and nrLSU data) are presented for this taxon.     

Two underscribed heterobasidiomycetes from Ontario

Specimens of two heterobasidiomycetous species, collected in Ontario and studied respectively by H. S. Jackson and R. F. Cain, are described as new; they arePlatygloea jacksonii andSigmogloea tremelloidea. P. jacksonii is characterized by small basidia and basidiospores and by sympodially developing conidia.Sigmogloea tremelloidea is an anomalous taxon with cylindric, mostly transversely septate (“auricularioid”) basidia, but some features suggest a possible relationship to the Tremellales.     

CYTOLOGICAL STUDIES IN LACCARIA (AGARICALES). II. ASSESSING PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS AMONG LACCARIA,HYDNANGIUM, AND OTHER AGARICALES

Laccaria and Hydnangium typically undergo a postmeiotic mitotic nuclear division in basidiospores, basidia, or less commonly, in sterigmata resulting in eight nuclei. Basidiospores formed on tetrasterigmate basidia are binucleate, and those on bisterigmate basidia are tetranucleate in both genera. While Hydnangium and Laccaria likely comprise a monophyletic group—a hypothesis based on a number of shared characters—the presence of multinucleate basidiospores in several putative outgroups precludes using this shared character state as a justification for recognizing these two genera in a separate family, Hydnangiaceae, as had been proposed. Based on a review of the literature, the presence and location of postmeiotic mitotic divisions in basidia and basidiospores of Agaricales do not appear to be appropriate for assessing phylogenetic relationships among genera or families because of a high level of homoplasy.     

Two new species of Exobasidium causing Exobasidium diseases on Vaccinium spp. in Japan

Two new Exobasidium species on Vaccinium spp. in Japan are described and discussed. Exobasidium kishianum, which causes Exobasidium leaf blight on V. hirtum var. pubescens and V. smallii, is characterized by its ellipsoid to ovoid basidiospores with (0–)1–3 septa. Its systemic infection is also observed. Exobasidium inconspicuum, causing Exobasidium leaf blister on V. hirtum var. pubescens, is characterized by its obovoid or ellipsoid to oval basidiospores with 0–4 septa. Mode of germination of the basidiospores is by germ tube in both species. Contribution no. 199, Laboratory of Plant Parasitic Mycology, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Japan     

New records of minute litter-decomposing basidiomycetes from Japan.Actiniceps thwaitesii (Pterulaceae) new to Japan andAnastrophella podocarpicola sp. nov. (Tricholomataceae)

Actiniceps thwaitesii (Pterulaceae) new to Japan andAnastrophella podocarpicola sp. nov. (Tricholomataceae) are described and illustrated. The former is characterized by forming stipitate-capitate basidiomata under 1 mm tall with encrusted cystidia and acanthophyses. The latter, occurring on a decaying leaf ofPodocarpus macrophyllus, differs from other taxa ofAnastrophella in having undifferentiated hymenial cystidia and smaller basidiospores and basidia. Their cultural features are also presented.     

Asterostroma species (Basidiomycota) from mangrove forests in Japan

A new homobasidiomycete, Asterostroma macrosporum, was found in mangrove forests of Iriomote Island, Japan. This species is morphologically characterized by having resupinate basidiomata, a monomitic (asterodimitic) hyphal system, simple septate generative hyphae, dextrinoid asterosetae, four sterigmate basidia and globose, tuberculate and amyloid basidiospores measuring 8.5–11 × 7.5–9 μm. It is similar to A. muscicola, but basidiospores in the latter are smaller (7–8 × 5.5–7 μm). Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region revealed that A. macrosporum is distinctly separated from A. muscicola. In Japan, A. muscicola is widely distributed in warm-temperate to subtropical regions, growing on a variety of broadleaved trees including mangroves, while A. macrosporum has been found only on mangroves.     

Cophylogenetic assessment of New World warblers (Parulidae) and their symbiotic feather mites (Proctophyllodidae)

Host–symbiont relationships are ubiquitous in nature, yet evolutionary and ecological processes that shape these intricate associations are often poorly understood. All orders of birds engage in symbioses with feather mites, which are ectosymbiotic arthropods that spend their entire life on hosts. Due to their permanent obligatory association with hosts, limited dispersal and primarily vertical transmission, we hypothesized that the cospeciation between feather mites and hosts within one avian family (Parulidae) would be perfect (strict cospeciation). We assessed cophylogenetic patterns and tested for congruence between species in two confamiliar feather mite genera (Proctophyllodidae: Proctophyllodes, Amerodectes) found on 13 species of migratory warblers (and one other closely related migratory species) in the eastern United States. Based on COI sequence data, we found three Proctophyllodes lineages and six Amerodectes lineages. Distance‐ and event‐based cophylogenetic analyses suggested different cophylogenetic trajectories of the two mite genera, and although some associations were significant, there was little overall evidence supporting strict cospeciation. Host switching is likely responsible for incongruent phylogenies. In one case, we documented prairie warblers Setophaga discolor harboring two mite species of the same genus. Most interestingly, we found strong evidence that host ecology may influence the likelihood of host switching occurring. For example, we documented relatively distantly related ground‐nesting hosts (ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla and Kentucky warbler Geothlypis formosa) sharing a single mite species, while other birds are shrub/canopy or cavity nesters. Overall, our results suggest that cospeciation is not the case for feather mites and parulid hosts at this fine phylogenetic scale, and raise the question if cospeciation applies for other symbiotic systems involving hosts that have complex life histories. We also provide preliminary evidence that incorporating host ecological traits into cophylogenetic analyses may be useful for understanding how symbiotic systems have evolved.     

Distributional Evidence for Cospeciation between Neotropical Bats and their Bat Fly Ectoparasites

Distributional evidence bearing on cospeciation of New World bats (superfamily Noctilionoidea) and associated bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae) was analyzed and revealed substantial phylogenetic structure, especially when we focused on "normal" host associations and encoded the data set hierarchically. Brooks' parsimony analyses of bat fly occurrences among hosts recovered generally accepted sets of host relationships. Putatively monophyletic host taxa provide a necessary but insufficient condition for coevolution via cospeciation.     

Formation of atypical fruiting structures inGanoderma lucidum isolates on a nutrient agar medium

Effects of light and ventilation on the formation of atypical fruiting structures (AFSs) and fruit body primordia (FBPs) ofGanoderma lucidum on nutrient agar media were investigated. Although the mycelial growth was inhibited by illumination and ventilation, brown AFSs appeared on the white mycelial colony, and basidia and basidiospores were produced on the AFSs. On the other hand, FBPs were induced by illumination alone, regardless of ventilation. However, the primordia could not develop to mature fruit bodies. In the dark, only vegetative growth of the fungus progressed. Twenty-three isolates ofG. lucidum collected from four countries were tested for the formation of AFSs and FBPs under light and ventilation. Thirteen isolates formed AFSs, and another five isolates produced FBPs. Of the remaining five isolates, one formed callus-like structures without elaborating basidiospores, and the other four did not induce AFSs or FBPs. Microscopical observation showed that the basidia were formed directly from generative hyphae on the surface of AFSs. Basidiospores formed on the basidia were brown and ellipsoid with an eccentric hilar appendix on the rounded spore base. They had a double wall and mostly contained one or two large vacuoles. The surface of basidiospores was smooth or wrinkled and had shallow holes. The spore size was (4.5–)6.4–9.6(–10.3) × (2.6–)3.2–5.1(–6.4), 7.3 × 4.2 µm on average.     

CYTOLOGICAL STUDIES IN LACCARIA (AGARICALES). I. MEIOSIS AND POSTMEIOTIC MITOSIS

In the genus Laccaria, basidial formation, dikaryotic basidia, karyogamy, and meiosis were generally similar to structures and phenomena reported for other Agaricales. The haploid nuclei of dikaryotic basidia resided side by side in the basidium prior to karyogamy. Following karyogamy a single nucleolus was observed in L. montana (four-spored species); several nucleoli remained in the nucleus of L. tortilis (two-spored species). The haploid number of chromosomes for L. montana appeared to be n = 9. Postmeiotic mitosis typically occurred in the basidiospores resulting in binucleate basidiospores for four-spored species and quadrinucleate basidiospores for two-spored species. Postmeiotic mitosis sometimes occurred in the sterigmata and basidia proper. In instances where postmeiotic mitosis occurred in basidia, mature basidiospores were not formed and the basidia were collapsed, and contained up to eight nuclei.     

Evolutionary relationships, cospeciation, and host switching in avian malaria parasites

We used phylogenetic analyses of cytochrome b sequences of malaria parasites and their avian hosts to assess the coevolutionary relationships between host and parasite lineages. Many lineages of avian malaria parasites have broad host distributions, which tend to obscure cospeciation events. The hosts of a single parasite or of closely related parasites were nonetheless most frequently recovered from members of the same host taxonomic family, more so than expected by chance. However, global assessments of the relationship between parasite and host phylogenetic trees, using Component and ParaFit, failed to detect significant cospeciation. The event-based approach employed by TreeFitter revealed significant cospeciation and duplication with certain cost assignments for these events, but host switching was consistently more prominent in matching the parasite tree to the host tree. The absence of a global cospeciation signal despite conservative host distribution most likely reflects relatively frequent acquisition of new hosts by individual parasite lineages. Understanding these processes will require a more refined species concept for malaria parasites and more extensive sampling of parasite distributions across hosts. If parasites can disperse between allopatric host populations through alternative hosts, cospeciation may not have a strong influence on the architecture of host-parasite relationships. Rather, parasite speciation may happen more often in conjunction with the acquisition of new hosts followed by divergent selection between host lineages in sympatry. Detailed studies of the phylogeographic distributions of hosts and parasites are needed to characterize these events.     

Ypsilonidium bananisporum sp. nov. (Ceratobasidiales) from Iriomote Island, Japan

Ypsilonidium bananisporum sp. nov. belonging to Ceratobasidiales is described and illustrated. This fungus has all the characteristics of the genusYpsilonidium including reticulate-hypochnoid basidiomes, broad hyphae branching at right angles, broadly clavate basidia with two sterigmata, and basidiospores germinating by repetition. It differs from all hitherto known species in the genus by producing suballantoid to banana-shaped basidiospores, measuring 19.5–22×5.5–6 μm. Contribution No. 314 of the Tottori Mycological Institute.     

胶瘤菌属和孔生胶瘤菌——中国新记录属、种

该文通过形态特征研究和基于ITS序列的分子系统学分析,对采自甘肃省连城国家级自然保护区的1份形态特殊的胶瘤菌属标本进行分类学研究。结果表明：该标本是孔生胶瘤菌(新拟)(Carcinomyces polyporina),隶属于担子菌门(Basidiomycota)、银耳纲(Tremellomycetes)、银耳目(Tremellales)、胶瘤菌科(新拟)(Carcinomycetaceae)。该物种代表了中国的1个新记录属、种,是该属在东亚地区的首次报道。孔生胶瘤菌寄生于多孔菌类真菌的子实体上,形成胶质状菌瘿,担子纵裂,担孢子可萌发后形成分生孢子。研究标本保存于中国科学院昆明植物研究所标本馆隐花植物标本室,馆藏号为HKAS 115765。     

Coltriciella sonorensis sp. nov. (Basidiomycota, Hymenochaetales) from Mexico: evidence from morphology and DNA sequence data.

Coltriciella sonorensis is described here as a new species from Mexico. It is characterized by pleuropodal, flabelliform basidiomes, rounded to elongated or daedaloid pores, a well-developed sub-hymenium, and oblong to cylindrical basidiospores, slightly attenuated towards the apex. The specimen was collected on soil in an open Quercus stand in mixed Quercus–tropical deciduous forest in the Sierra de álamos–Río Cuchujaqui Biosphere Reserve, Sonora, Mexico. From a phylogenetic perspective, the species appears to be related to C. oblectabilis, also occurring in Mexico.     

Should I stay or should I go? Pollinator shifts rather than cospeciation dominate the evolutionary history of South African Rediviva bees and their Diascia host plants

Plant–pollinator interactions are often highly specialised, which may be a consequence of co‐evolution. Yet when plants and pollinators co‐evolve, it is not clear if this will also result in frequent cospeciation. Here, we investigate the mutual evolutionary history of South African oil‐collecting Rediviva bees and their Diascia host plants, in which the elongated forelegs of female Rediviva have been suggested to coevolve with the oil‐producing spurs of their Diascia hosts. After controlling for phylogenetic nonindependence, we found Rediviva foreleg length to be significantly correlated with Diascia spur length, suggestive of co‐evolution. However, as trait correlation could also be due to pollinator shifts, we tested if cospeciation or pollinator shifts have dominated the evolution of Rediviva–Diascia interactions by analysing phylogenies in a cophylogenetic framework. Distance‐based cophylogenetic analyses (PARAFIT, PACo) indicated significant congruence of the two phylogenies under most conditions. Yet, we found that phylogenetic relatedness was correlated with ecological similarity (the spectrum of partners that each taxon interacted with) only for Diascia but not for Rediviva, suggesting that phylogenetic congruence might be due to phylogenetic tracking by Diascia of Rediviva rather than strict (reciprocal) co‐evolution. Furthermore, event‐based reconciliation using a parsimony approach (CORE‐PA) on average revealed only 11–13 cospeciation events but 58–80 pollinator shifts. Probabilistic cophylogenetic analyses (COALA) supported this trend (8–29 cospeciations vs. 40 pollinator shifts). Our study suggests that diversification of Diascia has been largely driven by Rediviva (phylogenetic tracking, pollinator shifts) but not vice versa. Moreover, our data suggest that, even in co‐evolving mutualisms, cospeciation events might occur only infrequently.     

Three new <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tomentella</Emphasis> species from West Africa identified by anatomical and molecular data

We used a combination of molecular-phylogenetic inference of 82 ITS rDNA sequences and anatomical approach to describe three new west African thelephoroid species, namely Tomentella afrostuposa, T. guineensis and T. guinkoi. Anatomically, T. afrostuposa is reminiscent of T. stuposa with globose to broadly ellipsoid large basidiospores of 8–14 μm, long aculei of up to 3 μm and prominent apiculi of 2 μm width. Molecular-phylogenetically, it falls within the T. stuposa complex. However, T. afrostuposa deviates by at least 7.80–10.74% from T. stuposa in regard with the ITS rDNA sequences. Tomentella guineensis is characterised by long (up to 85 μm) utriform basidia, the presence of reniform basidiospores in lateral view (up to 9 μm) with aculei not exceeding 1 μm and a strong cyanescent reaction of the subhymenial hyphae and basidia in 2.5% KOH. It forms a sister species of the newly described species Tomentella maroana; however, deviating from the last species by at least 9.75–10.04%. The very short, inflated (up to 14 μm) and thick-walled septate (septa up to 1.5 μm) subhymenial hyphae combined with ellipsoid basidiospores (up to 8 μm) and short aculei not exceeding 0.5 μm characterise Tomentella guinkoi. Anatomically, T. guinkoi recalls T. ellisii. Genetic distance between both species ranges from 12.67 to 13.73% according to ITS rDNA sequences analyses. Tomentella guinkoi forms a sister species of the group composed of T. ellisii, T. hjortstamiana and T. pisoniae. Detailed anatomical comparisons between the newly described species and their close relatives are given.     

Tomentella africana, a new species from Benin (West Africa) identified by morphological and molecular data

A common resupinate thelephoroid fungus was collected in northern Guinean seasonal forests in central and north of Benin (West Africa). The species is reminiscent of Tomentella umbrinospora with respect to the color and thickness of basidiomata and rhizomorphs, the shape of basidiospores in frontal view and the size of subicular hyphae. Both species fall phylogenetically within two clades. Based on detailed anatomical comparison (mostly of rhizomorphs and basidiospores) with the holotype of T. umbrinospora and phylogenetic analyses including ITS rDNA sequences of 40 Tomentella species, T. africana is described as a new species. Genetic distance between the newly described species and T. umbrinospora is 12.1-12.9%, based on ITS rDNA sequences. T. africana is characterized anatomically by yellow-brown thick (0.3-0.8 mm) monomitic rhizomorphs that are commonly covered by irregularly shaped thin hyphae, thin- to thick-walled subicular hyphae of two size ranges, clavate and clamped basidia of 30-60 microm and light yellow to pale brown echinulate basidiospores with irregular shape in frontal view. Detailed anatomical and molecular dissimilarities between T. africana and close species are discussed. Differences between irregularly shaped surface thin hyphae and skeletal ones are highlighted. We stress the relevance of rhizomorphal structures in the discrimination of resupinate thelephoroid fungi.