An anatomical approach coupled with molecular phylogeny of 84 sequences of thelephoroid taxa have been used to describe two new West African resupinate Thelephorales, namely, Tomentella agereri and Tomentella maroana. T. agereri presents a maximal sequence similarity of 94% with its genetically closest species, Tomentalla pilosa, according to a Blastn search in public GenBanks. By molecular phylogenetics, it is nested within the T. pilosa complex, a well-supported (bootstrap support of 100%) monophyletic clade composed of cystidiate and differentiated rhizomorphic species, although it presents contrasting anatomical features including the lack of cystidia, the presence of undifferentiated rhizomorphs, and basidiospores with very short aculei, up to 0.5 μm. Tomentalla maroana is close, by molecular phylogenetic study, to T. ellisii, T. pisoniae, and T. hjortstamiana. The phylogenetic proximity between T. maroana and T. ellisii is supported by morphological characters between the two species, namely, a crustose adherent basidiocarp, a differentiated sterile margin, and a granular hymenium. The two species deviate from each other by 11.38–12.37% with regard to the ITS rDNA sequences, whereas the intraspecific genetic distances vary from 1.68% to 2.9% among the three specimens assigned to T. maroana. Discriminating characters as well as genetic distance between the new species and the closely related species are discussed in detail.

Colletotrichum musae is an important pathogen causing banana anthracnose. The type material (K) had no conidia or sclerotia, and DNA could not be extracted from a darkened area of the herbarium sample. This sample thus provides few characters to delimit this species from other closely related taxa in the “gloeosporioides” species complex. An epitype is therefore designated for C. musae to stabilize the application of the species name. A detailed morphological description is provided from the epitype. Multilocus phylogenetic analysis indicates that C. musae clusters in a distinct lineage in the “gloeosporioides” species complex and is most closely related to Colletotrichum fructicola.

We investigated the diversity and community structure of ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi in Pinus thunbergii stands on the eastern coast of Korea. We established two 10 × 10-m plots in six forest stands and sampled soil blocks containing rootlets of mature P. thunbergii trees. EcM roots were classified into morphological groups, and the fungal taxa associated with each morphotype were identified by sequencing the nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer region. Cenococcum geophilum and the Atheliales, Clavulinaceae, Russulaceae and Thelephoraceae species were the main members of the EcM fungal community, which included a total of 68 observed fungal taxa. As a whole, the community consisted of a few dominant fungal taxa, such as C. geophilum (28.6% relative abundance), and a large number of rare fungal taxa that showed low abundances and local distributions. Colonization patterns at the local site scale and at the scale of the study plots greatly differed among the EcM fungal taxa; C. geophilum was distributed extensively and was dominant in several study sites, whereas a certain Lactarius sp. was distributed locally but dominated in a given study site. We conclude with a discussion of the relationship between colonization patterns of EcM fungi and soil and environmental conditions.

Two new species of Agaricales and a new Japanese record for Chaetocalathus fragilis from Ishigaki Island, a southwestern island of Japan, are fully described and illustrated: (1) Crinipellis (section Grisentinae) rhizomorphica sp. nov. produces brownish orange, fibrillosesquamulose basidiomata accompanied by white thread-like rhizomorphs on the dead twig, olivaceous hairs in KOH, and oblong-ellipsoid, relatively long basidiospores; (2) Chaetocalathus (section Holocystis) fragilis is a new record for Japan, growing on the dead twig; (3) Psilocybe (section Cubensae) capitulata sp. nov. forms a furfuraceous- squamulose pileus, cyanescent flesh, a persistent, membranous annulus, capitulate pilocystidia, and has a coprophilous habit on cow dung.

Lophiostoma and Lophiotrema share several morphological and ecological features. They have been regarded as closely related genera within the family Lophiostomataceae, but their morphological circumscriptions have been uncertain. To clarify the generic definitions of Lophiostoma and Lophiotrema, we conducted phylogenetic analyses of 29 isolates of these genera based on the SSU and LSU nrDNA sequences, and also reevaluated several key characters previously used for their generic characterization. Our results clearly confirmed that Lophiostoma and Lophiotrema are distinct genera belonging to different families; the ascus shape, including length of the ascus stipe, is a reliable taxonomic indicator to allow discrimination between the genera. In Lophiostoma species, asci are clavate with relatively long stipes [mostly (10–) 15–30 μm in length], whereas in Lophiotrema the asci are cylindrical with short stipes (up to 15 μm long). A new family, Lophiotremataceae, is proposed to accommodate species in the Lophiotrema clade that was distantly placed from the Lophiostomataceae within the Pleosporales. Lophiostoma quadrisporum, collected from twigs of Liriodendron tulipifera, is described as a new species with distinctive 4-spored asci. Lophiotrema vitigenum, which has clavate asci with long stipes, is transferred to Lophiostoma.

Fungal secondary compounds and total extracts are known to affect growth of bacteria, fungi, and plants. This study tested the effects of purified compounds and total extracts from three lichens on the growth of two plant pathogens, Ophiostoma novo-ulmi ssp. americana and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Usnic acid showed no reduction in relative growth rates (RGR), whereas vulpinic acid reduced RGR for both fungi and atranorin reduced RGR of S. sclerotiorum only. However, purified vulpinic acid showed stronger effects than total extracts on fungal growth. The results suggest that these lichens show further promise as a source for bioactive compounds against fungi.

Boletus kermesinus, a new species of Boletus section Luridi, is fully described and illustrated based on the materials collected in subalpine coniferous forests of central Honshu, Japan. It has distinctive features of darkred basidiomata having distinct viscidity in the pileus surface, usually unchanging flesh, discolorous red pores, and an entirely reticulate stipe becoming coarsely laceraterimose with age.

Structure and fungal identities were examined in the mycorrhizal roots of Schizocodon soldanelloides var. magnus (Diapensiaceae) to determine the mycorrhizal category. Previous studies had suggested the mycorrhizae of Diapensiaceae could be categorized as ericoid, but the mycorrhizal fungi have never been identified. The diameter of the fine lateral roots, in which coiled hyphae were found in epidermal cells, was mostly less than 100 μm. Molecular analyses identified the fungal isolates to be Helotiales and Oidiodendron. From the structure and fungal identities, we confirmed that the mycorrhiza of S. soldanelloides is an ericoid mycorrhiza.

Genomic DNA encoding the Pleurotus ostreatus LccK laccase was fused with the Coprinopsis cinerea β-tubulin promoter and terminator, and introduced into a C. cinerea strain. Linkage analysis, native PAGE separations, substrate specificity investigations and expression profiling indicated that C. cinerea transformants secrete P. ostreatus LccK, suggesting that the introns of the lccK gene are correctly spliced and the signal peptide for secretion is functional in C. cinerea. Transformants constitutively expressing laccase may be useful for the degradation of aromatic compounds.

During a survey of gasteroid fungi from the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil, two noteworthy species of the genus Phallus were identified: P. duplicatus (new record from Brazil) and P. granulosodenticulatus. The latter is a poorly known species described by Braun in 1932 that was recently recollected, and its taxonomy is discussed based on the examination of fresh and type specimens.