New <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clavulina</Emphasis> species from the Pakaraima Mountains of Guyana

Five new species of Clavulina (Clavulinaceae, Cantharellales, Basidiomycota) are described from the Pakaraima Mountains of Guyana, occurring in rain forests dominated by the ectomycorrhizal tree Dicymbe corymbosa (Caesalpiniaceae). These clavarioid fungi have simple (i.e., unbranching) basidiomata, which is a relatively uncommon phenotypic feature for the genus Clavulina. Macromorphological, micromorphological, and habitat data are provided for each taxon, and nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences of the 28S subunit and internal transcribed spacer region were obtained for each holotype collection.     

Diaporthosporellaceae,a novel family of Diaporthales (Sordariomycetes,Ascomycota)

Diaporthosporella cercidicola, collected from diseased branches of Cercis chinensis in China, is herein described and illustrated. Evidence for this new genus and species is provided by both holomorphic morphology and phylogenetic analysis. Diaporthosporella cannot be classified into any existing family. Thus, Diaporthosporellaceae is introduced as a new family to accommodate Diaporthosporella, typified by D. cercidicola. Morphologically, Diaporthosporellaceae can be distinguished from other diaporthalean families by irregularly uniseriate, allantoid or subreniform ascospores, conidiophores acropleurogenous, branched or sympodially branched, cylindrical, aseptate, and ellipsoidal, biguttulate conidia. Phylogenetic analysis using the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) ribosomal (r) DNA sequence data shows that Diaporthosporellaceae forms a distinct family within Diaporthales.     

Strengthening Myriostoma (Geastraceae,Basidiomycota) diversity: Myriostoma australianum sp. nov

A new species in the genus Myriostoma (Geastraceae, Basidiomycota) is described from Australia. Phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) of nuclear ribosomal DNA, as well as morphological data are evidence that the new species, Myriostoma australianum, is closely related to M. capillisporum from South Africa. Additional collections under M. coliforme from Brazil and USA (New Mexico) were analyzed and confirmed as belonging to M. calongei.     

A new species and two new Chinese records of Ochroconis from sugarcane and banana rhizosphere in Guangxi,China

Ochroconis guangxiensis isolated from sugarcane and banana rhizosphere, was described as a new species based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analysis using sequence data of the nuclear small subunit rRNA gene (SSU), internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and large subunit (LSU) rRNA gene. Taxonomic and phylogenetic remarks are also provided for O. minima and O. ramosa. The latter two species are newly recorded for China. These three Ochroconis species, as dark septate endophytes, inhabit rhizosphere and can form a symbiosis with sugarcane and banana.     

Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis Reveals the New Genus Hemisphaericaspora of the Family Debaryomycetaceae

Four strains of a novel ascomycetous yeast species were recovered from the frass of wood-boring beetles collected from the Baotianman Nature Reserve and the Laojieling Nature Reserve in Henan Province, China. This species produced unconjugated and deliquescent asci with hemispheroid or helmet-shaped ascospores. Analysis of gene sequences for the D1/D2 domain of the large subunit (LSU) rRNA, as well as analysis of concatenated gene sequences for the nearly complete small subunit (SSU) rRNA and D1/D2 domain of the large subunit (LSU) rRNA placed the novel species in a small clade including only one recognised species, Candida insectamans, in the family Debaryomycetaceae (Saccharomycotina, Ascomycota). DNA sequence analyses demonstrated that the novel species was distinct from all currently recognised teleomorphic yeast genus. The name Hemisphaericaspora nanyangensis gen nov., sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate the novel genus and species. The new genus can be distinguished from closely related teleomorphic genera Lodderomyces and Spathaspora through sequence comparison and ascospore morphology. The ex-type strain of H. nanyangensis is CBS 13020^T ( = CICC 33021 = NYNU 13717). Furthermore, based on phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, C. insectamans is transferred to the newly described genus as Hemisphaericaspora insectamans comb. nov., in accordance with the changes in the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi and plants.     

Freshwater ascomycetes: Coniochaeta gigantospora sp. nov. based on morphological and molecular data

Coniochaeta gigantospora collected from submerged wood in a freshwater habitat in France is described and illustrated as a new species in the family Coniochaetaceae (Coniochaetales, Ascomycota). This placement is based on morphology and phylogenetic analyses of partial nuclear ribosomal 28S large subunit and complete internal transcribed spacer DNA sequence data. Coniochaeta gigantospora is distinguished from other Coniochaeta species in possessing unusually large, ellipsoid, nearly equilateral, olivaceous to olivaceous-brown ascospores.     

A new meristematic fungus,Pseudotaeniolina globosa

A new species of Pseudotaeniolina, a genus of anamorphic, melanized fungi with meristematic development, is described. The species is compared to morphologically similar taxa among which are Trimmatostroma and Coniosporium. Its novelty is supported by SSU (small subunit) and ITS (internal transcribed spacer) rDNA sequence data. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

New species of Clavulina (Cantharellales, Basidiomycota) with resupinate and effused basidiomata from the Guiana Shield

Three new species of Clavulina (Cantharellales, Basidiomycota) are described from rainforests dominated by ectomycorrhizal trees of the leguminous genus Dicymbe (Fabaceae subfam. Caesalpinioideae) from the central Guiana Shield. Species of Clavulina typically form branched, coralloid basidiomata with amphigenous hymenia. However, the three species described here form resupinate or effuso-coralloid basidiomata, macromorphological forms previously unknown in Clavulina. Macromorphological, micromorphological, habitat and DNA sequence data are provided for each new species. Micromorphological features and DNA sequence data from the second largest subunit of DNA-dependant RNA polymerase II (rpb2) and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit (28S) of the ribosomal repeat justify placement of these new species in Clavulina. Comparisons with described Clavulina species and other resupinate taxa within the Cantharellales are provided.     

Sarcinomyces sideticae, a new black yeast from historical marble monuments in Side (Antalya, Turkey)

A new species of Sarcinomyces , a melanized fungus with meristematic development, is described. On the basis of small subunit and internal transcribed sequence regions of ribosomal DNA sequencing, the new species was accommodated in the anamorph genus Sarcinomyces (Herpotrichiellaceae, Chaetothyriales) close to S. petricola .  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 154 , 373–380.     

Discopersicus n. gen., a New Member of the Family Tylenchidae ?rley, 1880 with Detailed SEM Study on Two Known Species of the Genus Discotylenchus Siddiqi, 1980 (Nematoda; Tylenchidae) from Iran

Discopersicus iranicus n. gen., n. comb., previously described from Iran as a new species under the genus Discotylenchus, is illustrated using light microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations and further studied using molecular characters. SEM studies revealed the newly proposed genus has oblique amphidial apertures on the lateral sides of the lip region. SEM images are also provided for two species of Discotylenchus, namely D. discretus and D. brevicaudatus, as the first SEM study of the genus. These results confirmed longitudinal amphidial aperture type on lateral sides of the lip region in genus Discotylenchus, as noted by Siddiqi while erecting the genus with D. discretus as the type species. Molecular phylogenetic analyses using partial small subunit (SSU) and large subunit (LSU) rDNA sequences revealed the affinity of the genus Discopersicus n. gen. with members of the subfamily Boleodorinae, as supported by morphological characters (mainly, the oblique amphidial opening).     

DNA Barcoding Green Microalgae Isolated from Neotropical Inland Waters

This study evaluated the feasibility of using the Ribulose Bisphosphate Carboxylase Large subunit gene (rbcL) and the Internal Transcribed Spacers 1 and 2 of the nuclear rDNA (nuITS1 and nuITS2) markers for identifying a very diverse, albeit poorly known group, of green microalgae from neotropical inland waters. Fifty-one freshwater green microalgae strains isolated from Brazil, the largest biodiversity reservoir in the neotropics, were submitted to DNA barcoding. Currently available universal primers for ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region amplification were sufficient to successfully amplify and sequence 47 (92%) of the samples. On the other hand, new sets of primers had to be designed for rbcL, which allowed 96% of the samples to be sequenced. Thirty-five percent of the strains could be unambiguously identified to the species level based either on nuITS1 or nuITS2 sequences’ using barcode gap calculations. nuITS2 Compensatory Base Change (CBC) and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region phylogenetic analysis, together with morphological inspection, confirmed the identification accuracy. In contrast, only 6% of the strains could be assigned to the correct species based solely on rbcL sequences. In conclusion, the data presented here indicates that either nuITS1 or nuITS2 are useful markers for DNA barcoding of freshwater green microalgae, with advantage for nuITS2 due to the larger availability of analytical tools and reference barcodes deposited at databases for this marker.     

Phylogeny and taxonomy of the genus Cylindrocladiella

The genus Cylindrocladiella was established to accommodate Cylindrocladium-like fungi that have small, cylindrical conidia and aseptate stipe extensions. Contemporary taxonomic studies of these fungi have relied on morphology and to a lesser extent on DNA sequence comparisons of the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS 1, 2 and 5.8S gene) of the ribosomal RNA and the ??-tubulin gene regions. In the present study, the identity of several Cylindrocladiella isolates collected over two decades was determined using morphology and phylogenetic inference. A phylogeny constructed for these isolates employing the ??-tubulin, histone H3, ITS, 28S large subunit and translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene regions resulted in the identification of several cryptic species in the genus. In spite of the 18 new Cylindrocladiella species described in this study based on morphological and sequence data, several species complexes remain unresolved.     

A curious occurrence of Hazenia broadyi spec. nova in Antarctica and the review of the genus Hazenia (Ulotrichales, Chlorophyceae)

Freshwater filamentous green algae with branched thalli are almost unknown from the Antarctic region. They have rarely been recorded from maritime Antarctica and from sub-Antarctic Islands with rich phanerogamic vegetation. In the genus Hazenia, only one unidentified species was reported from several subaerial sites on Signy Island in 1979. However, unique populations of this genus were recently found in the stony littoral zone of two stable shallow lakes in the northern deglaciated region of James Ross Island (NE Antarctic Peninsula). These populations have a specialized ecology; they participate in the microvegetation on the flattened surfaces of stones in the littoral zones of lakes. The dominant green filamentous and richly branched alga from these communities was transferred to monospecific culture and studied in detail. Molecular sequence data (18S ribosomal DNA and the internal transcribed spacer) indicate that it belongs to the genus Hazenia (Bold in Am J Bot 45:737–743, 1958). Based on distinct molecular, morphological, and ecological characters, this alga was described as a new species (Hazenia broadyi spec. nova). A review of the genus Hazenia, based on molecular phylogenetic analyses of available strains, was also performed.     

Two new Pythium species from China based on the morphology and DNA sequence data

In an investigation of Pythium species in lawn grassland of south China, two new species, Pythium breve and P. baisense, were identified based on morphological characteristics and DNA sequence data. These two new species differ morphologically from the other Pythium species by the oogonia encompassed by many antheridia and with 1?C3 antheridia on the wavy and curved stalks. Furthermore, P. baisense with complexly lobed antheridial stalks differs from P. breve with antheridial stalks entwining the hyphae nearby the oogonia with several turns. Results of phylogenetic analyses showed that these two new species were clearly separated from morphologically similar Pythium species based on the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1, 5.8S, ITS2) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COXI) gene sequences using maximum parsimony and Bayesian methods. These two new species are described and illustrated in detail.     

Evaluating multilocus Bayesian species delimitation for discovery of cryptic mycorrhizal diversity

The increasing availability of DNA sequence data enables exciting new opportunities for fungal ecology. However, it amplifies the challenge of how to objectively classify the diversity of fungal sequences into meaningful units, often in the absence of morphological characters. Here, we test the utility of modern multilocus Bayesian coalescent-based methods for delimiting cryptic fungal diversity in the orchid mycorrhiza morphospecies Serendipita vermifera. We obtained 147 fungal isolates from Caladenia, a speciose clade of Australian orchids known to associate with Serendipita fungi. DNA sequence data for 7 nuclear and mtDNA loci were used to erect competing species hypotheses by clustering isolates based on: (a) ITS sequence divergence, (b) Bayesian admixture analysis, and (c) mtDNA variation. We implemented two coalescent-based Bayesian methods to determine which species hypothesis best fitted our data. Both methods found strong support for eight species of Serendipita among our isolates, supporting species boundaries reflected in ITS divergence. Patterns of host plant association showed evidence for both generalist and specialist associations within the host genus Caladenia. Our findings demonstrate the utility of Bayesian species delimitation methods and suggest that wider application of these techniques will readily uncover new species in other cryptic fungal lineages.     

Cunea russae n. sp. (Amoebozoa,Dactylopodida), another cryptic species of Cunea Kudryavtsev and Pawlowski, 2015, inhabits a continental brackish-water biotope

The genus Cunea Kudryavtsev and Pawlowski, 2015 (Amoebozoa, Dactylopodida) was initially described from the oceanic benthos: C. profundata, from over 5 km depth in the Atlantic Ocean, and C. thuwala from the Red Sea benthos at ca. 60 m depth. Both species are identical to each other in morphology (including cell coat ultrastructure), but differ significantly in the gene sequence data, including barcoding loci of small subunit ribosomal RNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene, as well as actin. This paper describes the third species of Cunea, C. russae n. sp. isolated from a brackish water habitat without a direct connection to the ocean, a small spring of brackish water (19‰) emerging from a 246 m deep hole in the earth. This species is morphologically identical to the previous two amoebae, but differs from them significantly in the gene sequence data and ecological preferences. In particular, this species has the broadest salinity tolerance range, being able to reproduce well already at 2.5‰. It is also capable of resisting cold temperatures, like C. profundata. The data obtained suggest that the genus Cunea may comprise a significant taxonomic diversity represented by morphologically identical, but quickly diverging species with significant ecological plasticity.     

Scale evolution in Paraphysomonadida (Chrysophyceae): Sequence phylogeny and revised taxonomy of Paraphysomonas,new genus Clathromonas,and 25 new species

Heterotrophic chrysomonads of the genus Paraphysomonas are ubiquitous phagotrophs with diverse silica scale morphology. Over 50 named species have been described by electron microscopy from uncultured environmental samples. Sequence data exist for very few, but the literature reveals misidentification or lumping of most previously sequenced. For critically integrating scale and sequence data, 59 clonal cultures were studied light microscopically, by sequencing 18S ribosomal DNA, and recording scale morphology by transmission electron microscopy. We found strong congruence between variations in scale morphology and rDNA sequences, and unexpectedly deep genetic diversity. We now restrict Paraphysomonas to species with nail-like spine scales, establishing 23 new species and eight subspecies (Paraphysomonadidae). Species having base-plates with dense margins form three distinct subclades; those with a simple margin only two. We move 29 former Paraphysomonas species with basket scales into a new genus, Clathromonas, and describe two new species. Clathromonas belongs to a very distinct rDNA clade (Clathromonadidae fam. n.), possibly distantly sister to Paraphysomonas. Molecular and morphological data are mutually reinforcing; both are needed for evaluating paraphysomonad diversity and confirm excessive past lumping. Former Paraphysomonas species with neither nail-like nor basket scales are here excluded from Paraphysomonas and will be assigned to new genera elsewhere.