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.     

New and interesting species ofEmericella from Chinese soil

Emericella miyajii, a new species isolated from Chinese soil, is described and illustrated. It is characterized by pale orange to brownish orange colonies on malt extract agar, subglobose to broadly elliptical ascospores with defective four equatorial crests and smooth convex walls, and with anAspergillus anamorph.Emericella undulata is also described as an uncommon species from Chinese soil.     

New and interesting species ofEmericella from Brazilian soil

Among the ascomycete isolates from soil and armadillo dung collected in São Paulo State, Brazil, a new species ofEmericella, E. montenegroi and a new variety ofE. rugulosa, E. rugulosa var.Iazulina are described and illustrated.Emericella montenegroi differs from the other known species of the genus in having ascospores with an incompletely reticulate or ribbed ornamentation on the convex walls.Emericella rugulosa var.Iazulina differs from the type variety in having blue to violet color of ascospores. Isolations ofE. corrugata andE. foveolata are also reported as a South American record. A synoptic key to all accepted species of the genus is provided.     

Five interesting ascomycetes from herbal drugs

Among strains isolated from herbal drugs in a mycological survey conducted in 1977–1980, five noteworthy species of pyrenomycetous ascomycetes are described and illustrated:Gelasinospora mirabilis var.gigaspora var. nov., isolated from Taraxaci Herba (Japanese name, Hokoei);Lophotrichus ampullus, isolated from Trichosanthis Radix (Japanese name, Karokon);L. bartlettii, isolated from Chamomillae Flos (Japanese name, Kamitsure);Sordaria conoidea, isolated from Plantaginis Semen (Japanese name, Shazenshi); andThielavia subthermophila, isolated from wood ofAbies webbiana, Plantaginis Semen and Plantaginis Herba (Japanese names, Shazenshi and Shazenso).     

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.     

Some interesting agarics from eastern Austria

Four very rare species ofAgaricales of dry grassland of the Galgenberg near Röschitz (Niederösterreich) are described and their taxonomy, affinities, ecology and distribution are discussed.Marasmiellus graminis (Murr.)Sing. & Hausknecht andCrinipellis subtomentosa (Peck.)Sing. var.mauretanica (Mre.)Sing. & Hausknecht are proposed as new combinations;Campanella inquilina Romagn. apudRedhead is a synonym ofC. caesia Romagn.     

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 heterothallicNeosartorya from African soil

Neosartorya nishimurae andN. otanii, two new heterothallic species isolated from African forest soil, are described and illustrated.Neosartorya nishimurae is characterized by its rapid growth on Czapek and malt extract agras, white cleistothecia, lenticular ascospores with two broad equatorial crests and echinulate convex surfaces, and large ellipsoidal conidia with a lobate-reticulate wall.Neosartorya otanii is characterized by its rapid growth on Czapek and malt extract agars, lenticular ascospores with two widely separated equatorial crests and tuberculate or lobate-reticulate convex surfaces, and globose to broadly ellipsoidal conidia with a micro-tuberculate wall.     

嗜热子囊菌光孢变种Thermoascus aurantiacus var. levisporus内切β-葡聚糖酶的分离纯化及特性研究

采用培养分离、室内测定等方法,对嗜热子囊菌光孢变种Thermoascus aurantiacus var. levisporus产生的内切β-葡聚糖酶进行了分离纯化及特性研究.粗酶液经硫酸铵沉淀、DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow阴离子层析、Phenyl-Sepharose疏水层析等步骤获得了凝胶电泳均一的内切β-葡聚糖酶.结果表明,经12% SDS-PAGE测得酶的单亚基分子量约为31.5 kD,凝胶过滤层析测得酶的分子量约为34.5 kD.该酶反应的最适温度为55 ℃,最适pＨ为2.5～3.0该酶在pH3.0条件下60 ℃较为稳定;80 ℃保温30 min有20%原酶活性.金属离子对内切β-葡聚糖酶活性影响较大, 其中K⁺、 Ca²⁺、Mn²⁺对酶有激活作用;Al⁺、Cu²⁺ 、Al³⁺对酶有显著抑制作用.该酶对羧甲基纤维素具有很强的底物特异性.     

Two new species ofNeosartorya from Brazilian soil

Among the isolates from soil of corn and sugar cane plantations in São Paulo State, Brazil, two new species ofNeosartorya, N. botucatensis andN. paulistensis, are described and illustrated.Neosartorya botucatensis differs from the other known species of the genus in having ascospores with long spines on the convex walls.Neosartorya paulistensis is characterized by its ascospore walls with spinose and verruculose ornamentation. The former is compared with the closely related speciesN. spinosa, and the latter is closely related toN. glabra, N. pseudofischeri and N. stramenia.     

Phylogenetic relationships ofSphaerophoraceae (Ascomycetes) inferred from SSU rDNA sequences

SSU rDNA was sequenced from the lichenized fungiBunodophoron scrobiculatum andLeifidium tenerum (Sphaerophoraceae), andStereocaulon ramulosum andPilophorus acicularis (Stereocaulaceae) and analysed by maximum parsimony with 44 homologous ascomycete sequences in a cladistic study. A small insertion (c. 60 nt.) was found in the sequence ofLeifidium tenerum. Sphaerophoraceae constitutes a strongly supported monophyletic group which groups together withLecanora dispersa and theStereocaulaceae. Together withPorpidia crustulata, this larger group is a sistergroup to thePeltigerineae. This analysis thus supports theLecanorales as monophyletic, includingSphaerophoraceae and thePeltigerineae, but does not provide strong support for this monophyly. The analysis also suggests that the prototunicate ascus in theSphaerophoraceae is a reversion to the plesiomorphic state. Based on morphological, anatomical and chemical reasons,Sphaerophoraceae is proposed to belong to one of the groups presently included in the paraphyletic suborderCladoniineae within theLecanorales.     

Five onygenalean fungi from Japan

Soils from various areas in Japan were screened for isolation of cleistothecial ascomycetes. From the recent collections, two new species of onygenalean fungi,Gymnascella japonica andGymnostellatospora frigida, are described and illustrated. Three interesting fungi,Aphanoascus saturnoideus, Arachnotheca glomerata andLeucothecium emdenii, are also described as the first records from Japan.     

Laboulbenia exigua and related taxa (Ascomycetes,Laboulbeniales)

TheLaboulbenia exigua group comprises seven species. Three of these species are described as new to science, and two new varieties ofL. exigua and one new variety ofL. balazucii are distinguished and described. New taxa areL. yamadae, L. consobrina, L. gebleri, L. exigua var.yaeyamae, L. exigua var.melanolabiata andL. balazucii var.exilis. This fungus group is characterized by grayish yellow to gray-brown thalli with simple inner and outer appendages, dark-spotted or streaked receptacles, and perithecia containing narrow ascospores 3–4–(–5) µm in width; the species and varieties occur onChlaenius (Carabidae) and closely allied taxa. The bilobed apex of mature perithecium, owing to the rounded apices of the posterior apical cells of the outer wall cell rows, and 3-celled, curved inner appendage in young thalli, and the deciduous antheridium are also characteristic of this group.     

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.     

Two interesting floral finds from third millennium B.C. Tell Hammam et-Turkman,northern Syria

Charred flower-head remains of Carthamus tinctorius recovered from an Early Bronze Age site in northern Syria indicate that safflower was used as a dye plant. The kernels of Prunus mahaleb probably served as a flavouring agent.     

中国锈革菌属研究.5.采自云南的两个新记录种

报道了采自云南省的锈革菌属(Hymenochaete)2个中国新记录种,即长矛锈革菌(H. contiformis)和红边锈革菌(H. rufomarginata)。前者的主要特点是解剖结构中无皮层和菌丝层,刚毛长且孢子大; 后者的主要特点是子实层具大量的侧丝,刚毛和孢子较小。提供了这两个种的野外标本照片、显微结构绘图以及详细的形态学描述,并给出了云南省锈革菌属30个种的检索表。     

Two new records of entolomatoid fungi associated with rosaceous plants from Japan

Two entolomatoid species associated with rosaceous plants, Entoloma saepium and E. clypeatum f. hybridum, are reported as new records from Japan, and their morphological characters are described and illustrated.     

Natural suppression of take-all disease of wheat in Montana soils

This research was initiated to determine whether soils suppressive to take-all of wheat caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici (Ggt) occur in Montana, and to identify the organisms most likely involved in this suppression. From an initial screening of eight soils collected from different wheat growing areas of Montana, two were highly suppressive to take-all. Microbial characterization of these soils indicated that different mechanisms were involved in the suppression. In Larslan soil, mycoparasitism appeared to be the main mechanism. Two different fungi with exceptional ability to reduce the severity of take-all were isolated from this soil. One of these fungi could parasitize the hyphae of Ggt. Field tests with these fungi in Ggt infested soil showed increases of over 100% in both harvestble tillers and grain yield as compared to treatments without these two fungi. In tests with 48 different bacteria and 10 actinomycetes from Larslan soil, none were able to consistently reduce severity of take-all alone, or in mixtures. In Toston soil, antibiosis by actinomycetes and perhaps the involvement of Pseudomonas spp. in production of antibiotics and/or siderophores appeared to be the most likely mechanisms involved in take-all suppression. Increases in shoot dry weight over that in the Ggt infested control using mixtures of pseudomonads and actinomycetes ranged from 25% to 87%. Actinomycetes added individually or in mixtures to soil infested with Ggt consistently reduced the severity of the disease to a greater extent than did mixtures of Pseudomonas spp.     

Detection of Two Fungal Biocontrol Agents against Root-knot Nematodes by RAPD Markers

The strain ZK7 of Pochonia chlamydosporia var. chlamydosporia and IPC of Paecilomyces lilacinus are highly effective in the biological control against root-knot nematodes infecting tobacco. When applied, they require a specific monitoring method to evaluate the colonization and dispersal in soil. In this work, the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was used to differentiate between the two individual strains and 95 other isolates, including isolates of the same species and common soil fungi. This approach allowed the selection of specific fragments of 1.2 kb (Vc1200) and 2.0 kb (Vc2000) specific for ZK7, 1.4 kb (P1400) and 0.85 kb (P850) specific for IPC, using the random Primers OPL-02, OPD-05, OPD-05 and OPC-11, respectively. These fragments were cloned, sequenced, and used to design sequence-characterized amplification region (SCAR) primers specific for the two strains. In classical polymerase chain reaction (PCR), with serial dilution of ZK7 and IPC pure culture DNAs template, the detection limits of these oligonucleotide SCAR-PCR primers were found to be 10, 1000, 500, 100 pg, respectively. In the dot blotting, digoxigenin (DIG)-labeled amplicons from these four primers specifically recognized the corresponding fragments in the DNAs template of these two strains. The detection limit of these amplicons were 0.2, 0.2, 0.5, 0.5 μg, respectively.     

甘肃河西走廊土壤中的暗色丝孢菌

从甘肃河西走廊的25份土样中分离出39个暗色丝孢菌分离物,经鉴定分别属于16个属的27个种。其中厚垣链格孢Alternaria chlamydospora、黑小枝顶孢Acremoniella atra和疣小枝顶孢Acremoniella verrucosa为中国新记录种:士栖葡萄穗霉Stachybotrys terrestris为新种。研究过的标本(干制培养物)与活菌种均保存在山东农业大学植物病理学标本室(HSAUP)。