A new <Emphasis Type="Italic">Laccaria</Emphasis> species from cloud forest of Fortuna,Panama

A new species of Agaricales, called Laccaria stellata, was collected in a premontane cloud forest in the Fortuna Forest Reserve, Panama, and it is described based on morphological and molecular characteristics. It differs morphologically from all known species of Laccaria by minute, pinkish-orange colored basidiomata, a very thin and translucent pileus, very distant lamellae, 4-spored basidia, and globose basidiospores covered by relatively large echinulae. Molecular rDNA sequence data confirm the separation of this new species from other Laccaria species for which rDNA sequence data are available.     

Distribution of fungal endophytes in roots of Stipa krylovii across six vegetation types in grassland of northern China

To explore the biogeographical patterns of endophytic fungal communities on a large scale, we surveyed fungal endophytes in roots of Stipa krylovii from six vegetation types in grassland along a 3200 km west–east transect in northern China. Pyrosequencing of samples collected from 18 sites (three sites per vegetation type) revealed that Pleosporales, Hypocreales, Agaricales, and Xylariales were the dominant fungal orders in roots of S. krylovii. The dominant genera were Marasmius, Fusarium, Acremonium, Sarcinomyces, and Monosporascus, and these genera were distributed differently among the six vegetation types. In a variation partitioning analysis, vegetation type, geographical distance, and environmental parameters (mean annual precipitation and air temperature, soil organic carbon, soil total nitrogen, pH, elevation) explained 98.2% of variation in the endophyte fungal community, and environmental parameters explained more variation than did vegetation type or geographical distance. Mean annual precipitation was the major significant factor influencing endophytic fungal communities.     

High diversity of root-associated fungi isolated from three epiphytic orchids in southern Ecuador

Knowledge of fungal root-associates is essential for effective conservation of tropical epiphytic orchids. We investigated the diversity of root-associated fungi of Cyrtochilum myanthum, Scaphyglottis punctulata and Stelis superbiens from a tropical mountain rainforest in southern Ecuador, using a culture dependent approach. We identified 115 fungal isolates, corresponding to 49 fungal OTUs, based on sequences of the nrDNA ITS and partial 28S region. Members of Ascomycota were unambiguously dominant (37 OTUs), including Trichoderma sp. as the most frequent taxon. Members of Basidiomycota (Agaricales and Polyporales) and Mucoromycota (Umbelopsidales and Mortierellales) were also identified. Four potential mycorrhizal OTUs of Tulasnellaceae and Ceratobasidiaceae were isolated from C. myanthum and S. superbiens. Fungal community composition was examined using Sørensen and Jaccard indices of similarity. Alfa diversity was significantly different between C. myanthum and S. superbiens. No difference in beta diversity of the fungal communities between the 3 orchid species and the collecting sites was detected. The study revealed a high diversity of fungi associated with orchid roots. Our results contribute to a better understanding of specific relationships between epiphytic orchids and their root-associated fungi.     

A new record ofMycena picta from Japan

Mycena picta, a rare species of Agaricales, is reported for the first time from Japan, based on specimens collected in Hokkaido.     

Flagelloscypha japonica: a new species of minute basidiomycete (Niaceae) from Japan

A minute basidiomycete belonging to Flagelloscypha (Niaceae, Agaricales) was found on blighted leaves of Rodgersia podophylla in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The fungus proved to be a new species and was named Flagelloscypha japonica based on its morphological characteristics.     

Tricholoma fulvimarginatum (Tricholomataceae): A new species from North America associated with cottonwood

Tricholoma fulvimarginatum is described as a new species of Agaricales from eastern North America. This fungus belongs in subgenusTricholoma sectionGenuina due to the coloration of the pileus surface. The orange-brown pileus, marginate lamellae, and presumed mycorrhizal association withPopulus deltoides distinguish this species from others in the section.     

Coprinopsis neocinerea sp. nov., an ammonia fungus from Southern Vietnam

Coprinopsis neocinerea sp. nov. (Basidiomycota, Agaricales, Psathyrellaceae), is a new Coprinoid ammonia fungus from broadleaf mixed forest in Vietnam. In macro- and micromorphology, this species is similar to C. cinerea, but differs in having upheaved and humpbacked abaxial side shape of basidiospores. Phylogenetic analysis with nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) data also supports this new taxon.     

New records of two <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tulostoma</Emphasis> species from Japan

As new records from Japan, Tulostoma adhaerens and T. fulvellum (Tulostomataceae, Agaricales) were described and illustrated based on the specimens collected in Shizuoka Prefecture and Shiga Prefecture, respectively. New Japanese names were proposed as Abata-Keshibouzu-take and Tanemi-Keshibouzu-take for T. adhaerens and T. fulvellum, respectively, based on their morphological features.     

High concentration of basidiolichens in a single family of agaricoid mushrooms (Basidiomycota: Agaricales: Hygrophoraceae)

The Agaricales is the largest and most diverse order of mushroom-forming Basidiomycota, with over 100 natural groups recognized in recent Fungal Tree of Life studies. Most agarics are either saprotrophic or ectomycorrhizal fungi, but the family Hygrophoraceae is in part characterized by a unique and remarkable diversity of lichenized forms. The most familiar of these is the chlorolichen genus Lichenomphalia, whose phylogenetic position in the Agaricales has been established. Recent limited evidence suggested that Hygrophoraceae also contains cyanolichens in the genus Dictyonema, which indicates a remarkable concentration and diversity of lichen-formers in a single family of agarics. To demonstrate the relationships of lichen-formers to other fungi in the family, we assembled ribosomal sequences from 52 species representing recognized groups within the Hygrophoraceae, among them new sequences representing Acantholichen and most species and forms of Dictyonema. The molecular data were evaluated using parsimony, likelihood, Bayesian, and distance analyses, including coding of ambiguous regions by means of INAASE and ARC, all of which indicate that Dictyonema and Acantholichen form a monophyletic clade derived from the primarily bryophilous genus Arrhenia and sister to the enigmatic Athelia pyriformis, a species unrelated to the Atheliales for which we are proposing a new genus name Eonema. The chlorolichen genus Lichenomphalia may be polyphyletic. Fungi in the Dictyonema-Acantholichen clade are typically tropical, entirely lichenized, and associate with cyanobacterial photobionts. Our data indicate a transition from agaricoid-omphalinoid basidiomes observed in Arrhenia to stereoid-corticioid forms in Dictyonema, and also support a previous suggestion of a connection between loss of clamp connections and lichenization. The diverse basidiome and thallus morphologies and nutritional ecologies of these fungi indicate a remarkable evolutionary flexibility that appears to have developed in part as a consequence of symbiosis.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Clitopilus reticulosporus</Emphasis>, a new species with unique spore ornamentation,its phylogenetic affinities and implications on the spore evolution theory

Clitopilus reticulosporus (Entolomataceae, Agaricales) growing on rotting wood is described as a new species based on collections from Austria and Hungary. Multi-gene phylogenetic analysis of ITS, rpb2, LSU and mtSSU confirms the placement of C. reticulosporus in the Clitopilus-Rhodocybe clade in the Entolomataceae. It is nested within the subclade containing the species with clitopiloid spores (Clitopilus s. str.). Scanning electron microscopy studies demonstrate that the spores of this species have a peculiar reticulate ornamentation resembling an intermediate form between the clitopiloid type with longitudinal ribs, and the rhodocyboid type with irregular bumps and ridges. However, our ancestral character reconstruction suggests that (1) this character state is not an intermediate form and (2) the discovery of this new character state does not have a direct implication on the Entolomataceae spore evolution theory. Our phylogenetic reconstruction uncovered, at least, three distinct lineages in the Clitopilus s. str. clade, and suggest that sect. Clitopilus is monophyletic, while sect. Schyphoides and sect. Pleurotelloides are not.     

江西黄岗山黄腹角雉的食性观察

2004年5月至2012年6月,在江西武夷山国家级自然保护区(黄岗山)采用野外观察和笼养观察法,对黄腹角雉(Tragopan caboti)的食物构成和习性进行了研究.研究期间共记录到黄腹角雉采食物种78种(类),其中,高等植物39科65属74种,伞菌目(Agaricales)口蘑科(Tricholomataceae)、膜翅目(Hymenoptera)蚁科(Formicidae)、蜘蛛目(Araneae)园蛛科(Araneidae)和蜻蜓目(Odonata)各1种.显示黄腹角雉为植食性、食谱广泛的雉类,采食习性学习能力和环境适应性强,在不同环境条件下行为有较大的差异.     

Observations on torquaratorid acorn worms (Hemichordata,Enteropneusta) from the North Atlantic with descriptions of a new genus and three new species

Enteropneusts in the family Torquaratoridae were imaged using still and video cameras in the deep North Atlantic and then collected by remotely operated vehicles. From this material, we describe Yoda purpurata n. gen, n. sp., Tergivelum cinnabarinum n. sp., and Allapasus isidis n. sp. Individuals of the first two species were browsing completely exposed on the sea floor, whereas the specimen of the last species was encountered floating ~1 m above the sea floor. Living specimens of Y. purpurata were 12–19 cm long and had a dark reddish‐purple proboscis, collar, and genital wings (folded dorsally over the anterior region of the trunk). Members of this species were hermaphrodites (the first ever discovered in the phylum Hemichordata), with numerous separate testes and ovaries in the genital wings. Living specimens of T. cinnabarinum were 12–26 cm long and had a cinnabar‐colored proboscis, collar, and back veils (arising from the anterior region of the trunk); sexes were separate, and body shape and internal morphology closely resemble those of its brown congener, T. baldwinae, from the eastern Pacific. The only specimen of A. isidis collected was a male 13 cm long and pale yellow when alive. Its body shape was proportionally shorter and broader than that of its orange congener, A. aurantiacus, from the eastern Pacific, but the internal anatomy of the two species is virtually identical. [Correction made after online publication August 21, 2012 to correct species name in preceding sentence.]     

Fungal spore transport by omnivorous mycophagous slug in temperate forest

Slugs are important consumers of fungal fruiting bodies and expected to carry their spores. In this study, we examined whether slugs (Meghimatium fruhstorferi) can act as effective dispersers of spores of basidiomycetes. The microscopic observation confirmed the presence of basidiospores in feces of field‐collected slugs, and the DNA metabarcoding study revealed that Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were major fungal taxa found in the feces. In Basidiomycota, the dominant order was Agaricales followed by Trichosporonales and Hymenochaetales. The laboratory experiments using Tylopilus vinosobrunneus showed that slugs carried a large number of spores in their digestive tracts. It was also observed that Pleurotus, Armillaria, and Gymnopilus spores excreted by slugs had a higher germination capacity than control spores collected from spore prints. The field experiments showed that slugs traveled 10.3 m in 5 h at most by wandering on the ground, litter layers, wood debris, and tree trunks. These results suggest that slugs could carry spores of ectomycorrhizal, saprophytic, and wood‐decaying fungi to appropriate sites for these fungi to establish colonies.     

Comparative genomics of the mating-type loci of the mushroom Flammulina velutipes reveals widespread synteny and recent inversions

Background

Mating-type loci of mushroom fungi contain master regulatory genes that control recognition between compatible nuclei, maintenance of compatible nuclei as heterokaryons, and fruiting body development. Regions near mating-type loci in fungi often show adapted recombination, facilitating the generation of novel mating types and reducing the production of self-compatible mating types. Compared to other fungi, mushroom fungi have complex mating-type systems, showing both loci with redundant function (subloci) and subloci with many alleles. The genomic organization of mating-type loci has been solved in very few mushroom species, which complicates proper interpretation of mating-type evolution and use of those genes in breeding programs.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We report a complete genetic structure of the mating-type loci from the tetrapolar, edible mushroom Flammulina velutipes mating type A3B3. Two matB3 subloci, matB3a that contains a unique pheromone and matB3b, were mapped 177 Kb apart on scaffold 1. The matA locus of F. velutipes contains three homeodomain genes distributed over 73 Kb distant matA3a and matA3b subloci. The conserved matA region in Agaricales approaches 350 Kb and contains conserved recombination hotspots showing major rearrangements in F. velutipes and Schizophyllum commune. Important evolutionary differences were indicated; separation of the matA subloci in F. velutipes was diverged from the Coprinopsis cinerea arrangement via two large inversions whereas separation in S. commune emerged through transposition of gene clusters.

Conclusions/Significance

In our study we determined that the Agaricales have very large scale synteny at matA (∼350 Kb) and that this synteny is maintained even when parts of this region are separated through chromosomal rearrangements. Four conserved recombination hotspots allow reshuffling of large fragments of this region. Next to this, it was revealed that large distance subloci can exist in matB as well. Finally, the genes that were linked to specific mating types will serve as molecular markers in breeding.     

中国的脉褶菌属真菌

记载和描述了伞菌目(Agaricales)、小皮伞科(Marasmiaceae)、脉褶菌属(Campanella Henn.)真菌3种,确认采自吉林省长白山地区的暗淡脉褶菌[Campanella tristis(G.Stev.)Segedin]为中国新记录种,并提供线条图。     

The genetic structure of the A mating-type locus of Lentinula edodes

The Shiitake mushroom, Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler is a tetrapolar basidiomycete with two unlinked mating-type loci, commonly called the A and B loci. Identifying the mating-types in shiitake is important for enhancing the breeding and cultivation of this economically-important edible mushroom. Here, we identified the A mating-type locus from the first draft genome sequence of L. edodes and characterized multiple alleles from different monokaryotic strains. Two intron-length polymorphism markers were developed to facilitate rapid molecular determination of A mating-type. L. edodes sequences were compared with those of known tetrapolar and bipolar basidiomycete species. The A mating-type genes are conserved at the homeodomain region across the order Agaricales. However, we observed unique genomic organization of the locus in L. edodes which exhibits atypical gene order and multiple repetitive elements around its A locus. To our knowledge, this is the first known exception among Homobasidiomycetes, in which the mitochondrial intermediate peptidase (mip) gene is not closely linked to A locus.     

Rhodocybe pulchrisperma (Entolomataceae): A new species from North America

Rhodocybe pulchrisperma is described as a new species of Agaricales from North America. It belongs in section Rhodocybe due to the brightly colored pseudocystidia and lack of clamp connections. The very large, handsomely ornamented basidiospores distinguish this species from others in the section. A key to taxa from Florida, Papua New Guinea, and India that exhibit similar features is presented.     

Redescription of arenicolous dipluran Parajapyx pauliani (Diplura,Parajapygidae) and DNA barcoding analyses of Parajapyx from China

Littoral dipluran Parajapyx pauliani Pagés, 1959 was redescribed based on the specimens collected in Hainan Island, South China. The littoral habitat was confirmed for the species, as the first report of arenicolous dipluran in China. DNA barcoding fragment was sequenced for five Parajapyx species (18 individuals) from China, and this is the first report on DNA barcodes used for dipluran identification. The mean intra- and interspecific divergencesare 1.9% and 19.1% respectively. Synonymy of Parajapyx paucidentis and Parajapyx isabellae was confirmed.     

Veluticeps microspora sp. nov. and V. ambigua new to Asia with a preliminary phylogenetic study on the genus

Veluticeps microspora sp. nov. and V. ambigua new to Asia are described and illustrated based on morphological and molecular characters. V. microspora was collected from Yunnan Province, southwestern China, and is characterized by its special anatomical structure (without tomentum, cutis, and subiculum), simple septate hyphae, and small basidiospores. V. ambigua was collected from Jilin Province, northeastern China, and is reported in Asia for the first time. The molecular phylogeny of Veluticeps was preliminarily studied based on the analysis of ITS sequences from 18 species of Gloeophyllales. Two distinct clades of Veluticeps were formed in the phylogenetic tree. While V. microspora and V. ambigua clustered together to form a strongly supported clade, V. abietina, V. fimbriata, and V. berkeleyi grouped with Chaetodermella luna to form another clade.