Periconia variicolor sp. nov., a new species from Puerto Rico

Periconia variicolor was isolated from water of an evaporation pond used for salt production on the southwestern coast of Puerto Rico. On the basis of cultural and morphological characteristics and ITS sequence it is describe as a new species of Periconia.     

Root Structure Indicates the Ability of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Heracleum sosnowskyi</Emphasis> To Absorb Resources Quickly under Optimum Soil Conditions

The structure of the root systems and roots of the invasive plant Heracleum sosnowskyi and the local species H. sibiricum have been compared in three habitats of the southern taiga subzone by the standard methods of plant morphology and anatomy. Differences in the structure of the root systems and roots of H. sosnowskyi and H. sibiricum ensuring the ability of the invasive species to absorb resources under optimum soil conditions have been revealed. These are the occurrence frequency of ephemeral roots, the number of orders of root branching, the size of absorbing roots, and the development of xylem elements.     

Rapid use of resources as a basis of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Heracleum sosnowskyi</Emphasis> invasive syndrome

The functional properties of the invasive Heracleum sosnowskyi were compared with those of the native Heracleum sibiricum. The leaf and root traits, as well as those of a whole plant and of the mycorrhiza formation, were studied. H. sosnowskyi can fulfill the high-productivity potential only under the optimum availability of resources (especially water), while it is poorly adapted to maintain a high physiological activity under the unfavorable soil conditions. An important component of the H. sosnowskyi invasiveness is an ability to utilize rapidly resources in both the above- and underground areas at the optimum conditions.     

Polycephalomyces lianzhouensis sp. nov., a new species,co-occurs with Ophiocordyceps crinalis

A new species from Guangdong Province in south China, Polycephalomyces lianzhouensis, is described and illustrated here; this species was found to co-occur with Ophiocordyceps crinalis. The phylogenetic position of this species was investigated according to morphological features and phylogenetic inferences based on the nrSSU, nrLSU, tef1, rpb1, and ITS gene sequences. Results demonstrated that P. lianzhouensis was highly associated with P. ramosopulvinatus but could be distinguished from the latter using the sequences of rpb1, nrLSU, and ITS gene and the features of much smaller stromata and perithecia and longer part-spores.     

Systematic analyses of Ophiocordyceps lanpingensis sp. nov., a new species of Ophiocordyceps in China

A new species of Ophiocordyceps, Ophiocordyceps lanpingensis collected from Lanping County, Yunnan Province, southwestern China, was described based on morphological characteristic, ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rDNA sequences analyses, 5-gene (nrSSU, nrLSU, tef-1α, rpb1 and rpb2) sequences analyses and MAT1-2-1 gene sequences analyses. This species was characterized by thinner stroma, smaller perithecium, thinner ascospore (multiseptate with short septation). The phylogenetic analyses based on the ITS, the 5-gene and MAT1-2-1 gene dataset showed O. lanpingensis had the closest evolution relationship with O. robertsii and O. sinensis, but still had obvious distances to them. Both morphological character and systematic analyses supported that O. lanpingensis was a new species of Ophiocordyceps.     

First record of Colletogloeopsis zuluense comb. nov., causing a stem canker of Eucalyptus in China

Coniothyrium zuluense causes a serious canker disease of Eucalyptus in various parts of the world. Very little is known regarding the taxonomy of this asexual fungus, which was provided with a name based solely on morphological characteristics. In this study we consider the phylogenetic position of C. zuluense using DNA-based techniques. Distance analysis using 18S and ITS regions revealed extensive sequence divergence relative to the type species of Coniothyrium, C. palmarum and species of Paraconiothyrium. Coniothyrium zuluense was shown to be an anamorph species of Mycosphaerella, a genus that includes a wide range of Eucalyptus leaf and stem pathogens. Within Mycosphaerella it clustered with taxa having pigmented, verruculose, aseptate conidia that proliferate percurrently and sympodially from pigmented conidiogenous cells arranged in conidiomata that vary from being pycnidial to acervular. The genus Colletogloeopsis is emended to include species with pycnidial conidiomata, and the new combination Colletogloeopsis zuluense is proposed. This is also the first report of the pathogen from China where it is associated with stem cankers on Eucalyptus urophylla.     

Traits of Heracleum sosnowskyi Plants in Monostand on Invaded Area

The ability of giant hogweeds to form monodominant communities and even pure monostands in invaded areas has been well documented. Understanding of the mechanisms leading to monostand formation can aid in determining the limitations of existing community ecology models and establishing an effective management plan for invasive species elimination. The aim of this observational study was to investigate traits of Heracleum sosnowskyi plants (demography, canopy structure, morphology and physiology) of the plants in a pure stand in an invaded area useful for understanding potential monostand formation mechanisms. All measurements were performed in one typical Heracleum sosnowskyi monostand located in an abandoned agriculture field located in Syktyvkar city suburb (North-east Russia). This monostand consisted of five main plant growth stages: seed, seedling, juvenile, vegetative adult, and generative adult. Plants of all stages began to grow simultaneously shortly after the snowmelt, at the same time as spring ephemeral plant species grew. The density of generative plants did not change during the vegetation period, but the density of the other plant stages rapidly decreased after the formation of a tall (up to 2–2.5 m) and dense (Leaf area index up to 6.5) canopy. The canopy captured approximately 97% of the light. H. sosnowskyi showed high (several orders of magnitude higher than average taiga zone grasses) photosynthetic water use efficiency (6–7 μM CO₂/μM H₂O). Formation of H. sosnowskyi monostands occurs primarily in disturbed areas with relatively rich and well-moistened soils. Early commencement of growth, rapid formation of a dense canopy, high efficiency of light and water use during photosynthesis, ability of young plants to survive in low light conditions, rapid recovery of above-ground plant parts after damage, and the high density of the soil seed bank are the most important traits of H. sosnowskyi plants for monostand formation in invaded areas.     

The genus periconia from india

Summary Totally 20 species ofPericonia have been studied, of whichP. ellisii, P. hyderabadensis, P. indica, P. masonii, P. pseudohispidula, P. scrobiculata, P. simplex, P. stilbacearum, P. torulosa, P. warticulata, andP. yadagirensis are new, remaining reported for the first time from these parts. The discussion includes comments on the distribution, nature of colonies, fertility of stipes, their arrangement in colonies and its application in taxonomy. Variation in sporoderm is treated.P. parasitica Tilak,P. ipomoeae &P. xanthicola Vasant Rao are treated conspecific withP. byssoides Pers. exSchweinitz, pending the establishment of their parasitism. An improvised and comprehensive key for 28 species ofPericonia known so far from India is proposed.     

Mycena subpiligera sp. nov., a Symbiotic Species from China Associated with the Seed Germination of Gastrodia elata

Mycena subpiligera, a new taxon in sect. Fragilipedes that can strongly enhance the germination efficiency of Gastrodia elata seeds, was discovered in subtropical areas of China. As revealed by a morphological comparison with related Mycena species as well as maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses based on sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and the large subunit (LSU) regions of nuclear ribosomal RNA, the new taxon can be distinguished from phenotypically similar and phylogenetically related species. Optimal cultural conditions for M. subpiligera basidiomata are reported, and the germination rate of the new species is compared with that of M. citrinomarginata.     

A new species of the genus Trematosphaeria from China

A new species of the genus Trematosphaeria was isolated and identified from the soil in Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve, southwestern China. The new taxon was studied based on morphological characters and phylogenetic analyses of three nuclear loci, i.e., the internal transcribed spacer rDNA operon (ITS), and large and small subunit nuclear ribosomal DNA (nuc28S rDNA, nuc18S rDNA). The analyzed Trematosphaeria species were clustered in several clades within the Pleosporales and the genus was shown to be polyphyletic. The new species is introduced as Trematosphaeria terricola, and it is characterized by short-papillate ascomata with suborbicular ostiolum, 3-septate, cinnamon-brown, fusiform ascospores with narrowly rounded ends, verruculose at maturity. Trematosphaeria terricola is compared with morphologically similar species T. confusa, T. mangrovis, and T. pertusa, which differ from the former species in the number of septa, and the shape and size of the ascospores with or without a sheath. This is the first report of a Trematosphaeria isolate from alpine soil in China.     

Characterization and Sequence Variation in the rDNA Region of Six Nematode Species of the Genus Longidorus (Nematoda)

Total DNA was isolated from individual nematodes of the species Longidorus helveticus, L. macrosoma, L. arthensis, L. profundorum, L. elongatus, and L. raskii collected in Switzerland. The ITS region and D1-D2 expansion segments of the 26S rDNA were amplified and cloned. The sequences obtained were aligned in order to investigate sequence diversity and to infer the phylogenetic relationships among the six Longidorus species. D1-D2 sequences were more conserved than the ITS sequences that varied widely in primary structure and length, and no consensus was observed. Phylogenetic analyses using the neighbor-joining, maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood methods were performed with three different sequence data sets: ITS1-ITS2, 5.8S-D1-D2, and combining ITS1-ITS2+5.8S-D1-D2 sequences. All multiple alignments yielded similar basic trees supporting the existence of the six species established using morphological characters. These sequence data also provided evidence that the different regions of the rDNA are characterized by different evolution rates and by different factors associated with the generation of extreme size variation.     

Alexandrium diversaporum sp. nov., a new non-saxitoxin producing species: Phylogeny,morphology and sxtA genes

Species of the PST producing planktonic marine dinoflagellate genus Alexandrium have been intensively scrutinised, and it is therefore surprising that new taxa can still be found. Here we report a new species, Alexandrium diversaporum nov. sp., isolated from spherical cysts found at two sites in Tasmania, Australia. This species differs in its morphology from all previously reported Alexandrium species, possessing a unique combination of morphological features: the presence of 2 size classes of thecal pores on the cell surface, a medium cell size, the size and shape of the 6″, 1′, 2⁗ and Sp plates, the lack of a ventral pore, a lack of anterior and posterior connecting pores, and a lack of chain formation. We determined the relationship of the two strains to other species of Alexandrium based on an alignment of concatenated SSU-ITS1, 5.8S, ITS2 and partial LSU ribosomal RNA sequences, and found A. diversaporum to be a sister group to Alexandrium leei with high support. A. leei shares several morphological features, including the relative size and shapes of the 6″, 1′, 2⁗ and Sp plates and the fact that some strains of A. leei have two size classes of thecal pores. We examined A. diversaporum strains for saxitoxin production and found them to be non-toxic. The species lacked sequences for the domain A4 of sxtA, as has been previously found for non-saxitoxin producing species of Alexandrium.     

Phylogenetic estimation and morphological evolution of Alsineae (Caryophyllaceae) shed new insight into the taxonomic status of the genus Pseudocerastium

Pseudocerastium is a monotypic genus in Caryophyllaceae endemic to China. The genus has been widely accepted since it was described in 1998, however its phylogenetic position within Caryophyllaceae has never been studied. In the present study, the whole plastid genome and nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of Pseudocerastium stellarioides was obtained through genome skimming, and the phylogenetic position of the species was studied for the first time. Plastid phylogenomic analysis of Caryophyllaceae revealed that Pseudocerastium is clustered within the tribe Alsineae with strong support. Phylogenetic analyses based on an enlarged taxon sampling of Alsineae using five DNA regions (matK, rbcL, rps16 intron, trnL-F and ITS) revealed that P. stellarioides was nested deeply within Cerastium with strong support. Analyses of morphological character evolution suggest that the ancestral states in Alsineae include three styles and a six-lobed capsule at the apex, while both Cerastium and Pseudocerastium have five styles and ten lobes at the apex of the capsule, further supporting their close relationship. The species Pseudocerastium stellarioides is similar to Cerastium wilsonii in morphology, but differs in having villous indumentum on the lower part of the filaments and compressed globose seeds. Therefore, based on the present molecular and morphological evidence, the generic name Pseudocerastium is reduced here as a new synonym of Cerastium and the species P. stellarioides is transferred to Cerastium as C. jiuhuashanense.     

Pseudoidium javanicum,a new species of powdery mildew on Acalypha spp. from Indonesia

Pseudoidium javanicum is proposed as a new species based on analyses of 28S, ITS and IGS rDNA sequences, and morphological data. This new species was found on Acalypha wilkesiana var. marginata, A. argentea, and A. cristata collected from Cibodas Botanical Garden, Bogor (West Java Province, Indonesia). Our analyses showed that all these specimens have identical rDNA sequences and similar morphological characteristics. They form a distinct clade separated from other species of Erysiphaceae. Pseudoidium javanicum differs from Erysiphe acalyphae by having shorter conidiophores and foot cells 1–3 times as long as the 0–2 following cells. The conidial size of Ps. javanicum is also smaller than that of E. jatrophae.     

Morphological and phylogenetic studies of Cytospora (Valsaceae,Diaporthales) isolates from Chinese scholar tree,with description of a new species

Cytospora species are the most serious and widespread pathogens associated with canker disease on multiple plants. In this study, three species, i.e., Cytospora sophoricola, C. chrysosperma, and C. sophorae, which were isolated from Sophora in China, are described and illustrated based on their morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses. Cytospora sophoricola was distinguished clearly by its larger disc, multiple ostioles, cystic and multiple locules, and specific cultural characteristics, i.e., protruding fruiting bodies. Maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood analysis showed that it did not cluster with any known species of Cytospora, so it is described as a new species. Cytospora sophorae is a previously reported species from Sophora, which is redescribed based on new isolates and additional observations. Another species was identified as C. chrysosperma, which is reported for the first time on Sophora, so Papilionaceae is shown to be a new host family for C. chrysosperma. The morphological affinities of these species with related taxa are discussed, while the phylogenetic relationships of these species with other fungus in the genus Cytospora were elucidated based on their internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rRNA region sequences.     

Russula velenovskyi new to Japan,with phylogenetic implications of Russula species between Japanese subalpine forests and Northern Europe

To compare morphological characters and phylogenetic placement between Japanese and European Russula, 32 specimens of 12 species were collected from Japanese subalpine forests and Northern Europe. Several sequences of nrDNA ITS region (ITS) of these Russula species were obtained. High homological similarities were shown between ITS sequences of several Russula samples collected from Japanese subalpine forests, Europe and North America. These facts show distribution of the same Russula species among these areas. From morphological observations and phylogenetic analyses, two same Russula species, R. velenovskyi, and R. decolorans are found in Japan, Europe and North America. Of these, R. velenovskyi collected from Mt. Fuji, Mt. Nyukasa and Mt. Tateshina in mountainous area of central Honshu is reported as a new Japanese record.     

The phylogeny and taxonomy of genera Cystoderma and Cystodermella (Agaricales) based on nuclear ITS and LSU sequences

Species delimitation in Cystoderma and Cystodermella was evaluated based on ITS and LSU rDNA sequences as well as morphological data. Two species of Cystoderma are synonymised with C. carcharias and three species with C. jasonis, distinguishing the synonymised taxa as varieties of these accepted species. Analyses of partial LSU rDNA sequences revealed Cystoderma and Cystodermella as distinct monophyletic genera, with Ripartitella representing a well-supported sister group of the latter. Phaeolepiota aurea represents either an unsupported sister group or member of Cystoderma in the phylogenies based on LSU and ITS sequences rDNA data, respectively. The tribe Cystodermateae sensu Singer did not appear monophyletic according to analyses of LSU sequences. On the basis of these data, the phylogenetic relationships among most of the analyzed genera could not be resolved unequivocally.     

The genusBrachydesmiella from submerged wood in the tropics, including a new species and a new combination

During studies of fungi occurring on wood submerged in freshwater streams in the tropics, five species ofBrachydesmiella, namely,B. anthostomelloidea, B. biseptata, B. caudata, B. orientalis comb. nov., andB. verrucosa sp. nov., were collected. There are described and illustrated from natural substrata, wooden test blocks, and from pure culture, based mainly on collections made in Thailand.Brachydesmiella verrucosa differs from the other four species in having 3-celled, coarsely verrucose, ampoule-shaped conidia, with a long, thin, cylindrical, verruculose apical cell. A key toBrachydesmiella species is provided.     

Antrodiella chinensis sp. nov., a Chinese representative of the Antrodiella americana complex

A new wood-decaying polypore, Antrodiella chinensis, is described and illustrated from China based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis of rDNA ITS sequences. The new species belongs to the Antrodiella americana complex, and is characterized by an annual habit, resupinate basidiocarps, cream to straw coloured pore surface with larger and regular pores, and oblong-ellipsoid basidiospores. Discriminating characteristics between the new species and the closely related species in the complex are discussed.