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.     

Emericella omanensis,a new species from Oman soil

A new species ofEmericella isolated from forest soil in the Oman,E. omanensis, is described and illustrated. It differs from the other known species of the genus in having bivalvate ascospores with a tuberculate or verruculose convex wall. The new species is compared with the closely related speciesE. desertorum andE. echinulata.     

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.     

Neosartorya takakii, a new species from soil in Brazil

Among the isolates from soil of grassland in Roraima State, Brazil, a new species ofNeosartorya, N. takakii is described and illustrated.Neosartorya takakii differs from the other known species of the genus in having lenticular ascospores with two distinct equatorial crests and with roughly circularly arranged projections on the convex walls. A comparative SEM view of ascospores from six relatedNeosartorya species is also provided.     

Talaromyces euchlorocarpius, a new species from soil

A new species ofTalaromyces, characterized by development of unusual deep green ascomata on common media, is described and given the nameTalaromyces euchlorocarpius. This species, isolated from soil, also produces ellipsoidal, spinose ascospores, typically biverticillate penicilli, large ellipsoidal, smooth-walled conidia, and is assigned to the seriesLutei of the sectionTalaromyces.     

Aspergillus taichungensis,a new species from Taiwan

Aspergillus taichungensis isolated from a soil sample collected in Taiwan is described as a new species. The new species is characterized by its restricted growth on Czapek's and malt extract agars and its white to light yellow colonies, radiate conidial heads, smooth and often diminutive conidiophores, hemispherical to elongate vesicles with biseriate aspergilla (conidiogenous cells), globose, micro-verrucose conidia and dark brown sclerotia. The species somewhat resemblesA. versicolor, A. terreus andA. flavipes, but differs in cultural and morphological details, and is considered to represent an interface species in the subgenusNidulantes.     

Microsphaeropsis rugospora, a new species from Japanese soil

A new species ofMicrosphaeropsis (Sphaeropsidales, Coelomycetes),M. rugospora, is described and illustrated. This fungus is characterized by its rapid growth on common media such as oatmeal and potato-carrot agars; semi-immersed to immersed, nearly globose, papillate pycnidias; pale yellowish brown, translucent, membranaceous peridium; monophialidic, ampulliform conidiogenous cells; and one-celled, dark brown, globose conidia ornamented with distinct tubercles. The holotype was isolated from the cultivated soil in Tanegashima Island, southern Japan.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Experimental acute poisoning in mice induced by emestrin,a new mycotoxin isolated from Emericella species

The effects of emestrin (EMS), a secondary metabolite of the Emericella species, on male ICR mice were examined. The intraperitoneal LD₅₀ values of EMS were 17.7 and 13.0 mg/kg at 24 and 48 hr, respectively. The target organs of EMS were the heart, liver and thymus. In doses over 30 mg/kg the experimental animals died from cardiac failure shortly after the injections. Several survivors that were given EMS in doses under 20 mg/kg showed severe centrilobular necrosis in the liver at 24 hr. Marked degeneration of mitochondria was seen in electron micrographs of both cardiac muscle cells and hepatocytes. In the degenerated hepatocytes, prominent proliferation of RER, membrane-limited inclusions containing both ribosome-like granules and RER, and fenestrated lamella-like structures were observed. Massive necrosis of lymphocytes was always observed in the cortical layer of the thymus of the survivors within 24 hr, while bilateral adrenalectomized mice showed no discernible pathomorphological changes in the lymphoid tissues. Pretreatment of mice with diethyl maleate increased the incidence and severity of hepatic necrosis, whereas that with either cysteine or CoCl₂ reduced the severity of centrilobular necrosis of the liver. Pretreatment with phenobarbital had no significant effect on EMS-induced hepatic lesions.     

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.     

Spiromastix saturnispora,a new species from indonesian soil

Spiromastix saturnispora, isolated from a soil sample collected from central Java in Indonesia, is described and illustrated as a new species. The new species was compared with the type ofSpiromastix, S. warcupii, and is similar in having brownish ascomata with a peridium of a loose network of delicate hyphae, peridial appendages which are curved in the manner of a scimitar and never completely coiled, and the absence of an anamorph. The ascospores ofS. saturnispora are characterized as large oblate, 3.2–4.8 × 2.5–3µm, punctate, and with an equatorial rim, which serves to distinguish the species fromS. warcupii and other known species.     

Aspergillus salviicola,a new species from imported spice

A new species ofAspergillus, A. salviicola, has been isolated from Turkish sage, an imported spice in Japan. The species, characterized by white to rosy buff conidial heads, pinkish smooth-walled conidiophores, large biseriate aspergilla, globose smooth-walled conidia, absence of sclerotia and thermotolerant growth, is considered to represent an interface species in the subgenusCircumdati.     

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.     

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.     

Emericella venezuelensis, a new species with stellate ascospores producing sterigmatocystin and aflatoxin B1

Emericella venezuelensis is a new species, differing from two other species with stellate ascospores, E. variecolor and E. pluriseminata, by triangular flaps on the convex sides of the ascospores, and further from E. variecolor by producing an Aspergillus anamorph only on unconventional growth media. The three species also differ in their profiles of extrolites (secondary metabolites). Emericella venezuelensis produces aflatoxin B₁, sterigmatocystin, and terrein and compounds with chromophores of the shamixanthone, emerin and desertorin type of compounds. E. variecolor produces asteltoxin, shamixanthone, asperthecin, and terrein, in addition to metabolites unequivocally recorded in the literature or tentatively identified here as astellolide A & B, andibenin A, B, C, andilesin A, B, C, anditomin, astellatol, stellatic acid, stellatin, tajixanthone, radixanthone, najamxanthone, ajamxanthone, variecoxanthone A, B, C, isoemericellin, kojic acid, varitriol, varioxiran, dihydroterrein, 7-hydroxyemodin, avariquinone and stromemycin. E. pluriseminata produces several unknown specific extrolites. E. venezuelensis is the first organism of marine origin reported to produce aflatoxin. Aflatoxin production by E. venezuelensis makes this species an attractive model organism for the study of the regulation of this important type of carcinogenic mycotoxins in combination with the knowledge on sterigmatocystin production by E. nidulans, soon to be whole genome sequenced. The isolates were also analyzed cladistically using partial sequences of the β-tubulin gene. Since three species of Emericella have stellate ascospores, and the type material of E. variecolor is equivocal, this species is epitypified with CBS 598.65. Emericella species normally do not appear to cause problems for food safety, as they are most often found in litter and soil.     

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.     

Emericella astellata, a new producer of aflatoxin B, B and sterigmatocystin

AIMS: To report on aflatoxin B(1) and B(2) production from a species of Emericella. METHODS AND RESULTS: Aflatoxins and sterigmatocystin were determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detection and confirmed by HPLC with mass spectrometry detection. Among 30 known species of Emericella only one species produced aflatoxin. Strains originating from the same geographical source material had different patterns of aflatoxin and sterigmatocystin production on different media, indicating that epigenetic factors may be involved in the regulation of aflatoxin production. However, two cultures from the same original genet were very similar. CONCLUSIONS: Emericella astellata can produce small amounts of sterigmatocystin and aflatoxin B(1) and B(2). SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Emericella has been used extensively in genetic studies and therefore the isolates producing aflatoxin can be used to elucidate the genetic, evolutionary and maybe ecological role of aflatoxins using molecular genetic methods.     

Neosartorya sublevispora, a new species of soil-borne Eurotiales

A new species ofNeosartorya, N. sublevispora (anam.Aspergillus sublevisporus), is described and photographed. The species is characterized by non-ostiolate ascomata covered loosely with a pale yellowish hyphal envelope, lenticular ascospores with two low equatorial crests, and subglobose to ellipsoidal, microtuberculate conidia. The ornamentation of ascospores, which is composed of two closely appreassed crests and small even-sized echines on their convex surfaces, particularly serves to distinguish this species from other recognized species. A revised key to all accepted species of the genus is provided.