A fungus parasitic on a fern, Dennstaedtia wilfordii (Dennstaedtiaceae), was found at the foothill of Mt. Fuji, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Its hyphae spread within host mesophyll cells and through intercellular spaces, forming coiled haustoria in the epidermal and mesophyll cells. The hyphae emerged either through stomata or by disrupting epidermal cell junctions. The hyphae spreading over the abaxial leaf surface generated one-septate, thin-walled basidia. All the morphological features observed were characteristic of the genus Herpobasidium. The species identification of the fungus as H. filicinum by morphology was supported by molecular phylogenetic analyses of the D1/D2 region of the large subunit rRNA gene.

A novel basidiomycetous species, Hygrophorus yukishiro, is described from Japan. The basidiomata of this fungus have been referred to as “yuki-shiro”, “yuki-take”, and “yuki-wari”, and used as an edible mushroom in the central region of Nagano, Japan. Hygrophorus yukishiro fruits in the early spring season under oak-dominated stands. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer region of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene indicated that H. yukishiro is a sister species of H. arbustivus and belongs to section Hygrophorus, subsect. Fulventes. Hygrophorus yukishiro is similar in its external morphology and fruiting phenology to H. roseobrunneus, H. leucophaeo-ilicis, and H. roseodiscoideus, but differs in the color and texture of its pileus surface and microscopic characteristics.

A novel yeast species was isolated from leaf litter of Macropanax dispermus obtained from the Cibodas Botanical Garden, West Java, Indonesia. The two strains of the species displayed typical characteristics of the genus Citeromyces. Phylogenetic analysis based on the gene sequences of the D1/D2 domains of large subunit (LSU) rDNA, internal transcribed spacer (ITS) including 5.8S rDNA, mitochondrial small-subunit rRNA gene (MtSm), and translation elongation factor-1α (EF-1α) showed that the novel strains were clearly separated from the other four existing species of the genus Citeromyces. Therefore, the two strains were proposed to represent a novel species within the genus Citeromyces, for which the name Citeromyces cibodasensis is proposed; the type strain is NBRC 110244^T (= CBS 14272^T = InaCCY703^T = AK 01).

Brasiliomyces, comprising only four species, is a unique powdery mildew genus characterized by having small, semitransparent chasmothecia with a thin, single peridium layer. Brasiliomyces malachrae, a type species, is distributed in Central and South America and the morphology of this species, especially its asexual morph, is poorly known. This study was performed to describe the sexual and asexual morphs of B. malachrae on Malvastrum coromandelianum in detail, and to clarify the phylogenetic placement of this fungus. The asexual morph of this species is characterized by having hyaline ectophytic mycelium with lobed hyphal appressoria and catenescent conidia. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on 18S, 5.8S, and 28S rRNA gene sequences revealed that B. malachrae is a sister to the genus Erysiphe and situated at the boundary between tribes Golovinomyceteae and Erysipheae, which supports its unique phylogenetic position. The evolutionary relationships among the tribes Golovinomyceteae, Erysipheae, and Phyllactinieae are discussed on the basis of the present phylogenetic analyses.

A new aquatic fungus was isolated from submerged, decaying leaves collected at Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam. The fungus produced hyaline, unique-shaped conidia consisting of a hook-shaped main axis and three arms at the helicoid part of the main axis. Based on its conidial development and morphological characteristics, Hamatispora phuquocensis was newly introduced. Phylogenetic analyses based on LSU nrDNA sequences showed that it clusters with Microthyrium spp. and belongs to Microthyriales. Furthermore, we generated ITS barcode for this hyphomycetous fungus.

A new endophytic fungus, described herein as Chaetomella endophytica sp. nov., was isolated from stems of Rosa arvensis in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. Morphological investigations revealed that its conidia are shorter and narrower than other known Chaetomella species. Phylogenetic analysis of three combined loci (large subunit, internal transcribed spacer, and small subunit regions of ribosomal DNA) confirmed that it is a new species within the family Chaetomellaceae. A full description, illustrations and a phylogenetic tree showing the position of C. endophytica are provided.

We studied how the content and degrading activity of trehalose changed during fruit-body development and autolysis. During the process of autolysis, the trehalose content of whole fruit-bodies decreased sharply whereas the trehalose-degrading activity increased toward the inner region from the outer region of the pilei. Conversely, the trehalose content during autolysis decreased toward the inner region from the outer region of the pilei, and further decreased toward the bottom region from the top region of the stipes.