Species of the genus Acaulospora are partly characterized by the production of ‘acaulosporoid’ spores. The simultaneous formation of glomoid and acaulosporoid spores by some species in the Glomeromycota has been used as a basis for taxonomic classification. We report the presence of both glomoid and acaulosporoid spores in four Acaulospora species. Analysis of the 18S rRNA gene confirmed that only A. spinosa was present in a pot culture that produced two morphs. The functional significance of dimorphic spore production is unknown but the production of blastic spores is not a characteristic that can have any significance as a taxonomic character.

Puccinia metanarthecii and P. pachycephala differed in their heteroecious life cycle. The former rust fungus formed spermogonial/aecial stages on Ixeris dentata and uredinial/telial stages on Metanarthecium luteo-viride or Aletris foliata. The latter formed spermogonial/aecial stages on Ligularia hodgsonii and uredinial/telial stages on Veratrum maackii var. longibracteatum and V. maackii var. parviflorum. Puccinia pachycephala and P. metanarthecii can also be differentiated by aeciospore and teliospore morphology.

The examination of recent collections of Favolaschia from remnants of the Atlantic Forest, Brazil, resulted in the identification of F. aurantiaca, F. cinnabarina and F. luteoaurantiaca sp. nov. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences obtained from these collections were introduced into the previously published phylogenetic tree of the genus to assess the position of these species within the Favolaschia clade. A maximum likelihood analysis generated a phylogenetic tree with a better resolution, especially for the clade that contains species belonging to section Favolaschia subsection Auriscalpium, where the three specimens collected in Brazil also were clustered in.

Entomophthorales are important natural enemies against agroforestry pests. Conidiobolus obscurus in this order, a common obligate aphid pathogen, possesses features of rapid growth in vitro and ease to mass production. This study sought to evaluate the potential of C. obscurus in aphid biocontrol, by modeling analyzing on the sporulation capacity and storage of its alginate formulation and infectivity to Myzus persicae. The C. obscurus mycelia-entrapping alginate pellets discharges 0.12–18.26 × 10⁴ conidia per pellet at 4−32 °C. The optimal temperature for the fungal sporulation was computed as 23.3 °C. Each pellet could sporulated for 7 d, releasing 22.3-fold more conidia than a cadaver at 24 °C. Moreover, it had longevity of 8 mo at 4 °C, with half decline time of 2.3 mo. The infectivity of C. obscurus was assessed by multi-concentration bioassays at 10−28 °C and 8−16 h light per d. The median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) at each temperature-photoperiod regime was computed based on the morality-concentration trend. The LC₅₀ values reached the lowest one of 15 conidia per mm² at 28 °C and 16:8 L:D cycles. The total results suggest that C. obscurus mycelia-inclusive alginate pellets meet the requirement of aphid biocontrol in the high-temperature surroundings of 24–28 °C.

Tricholoma matsutake produces commercially valuable yet uncultivable matsutake mushrooms during an ectomycorrhizal association with coniferous trees. In the Far East, most matsutake are harvested in managed Pinus densiflora forests. To determine whether T. matsutake has host plant specificity, we synthesized mycorrhiza in vitro between T. matsutake Y1 that originated from a P. densiflora forest and various Pinaceae and oak hosts. The strain Y1 formed a continuous Hartig net, a sign of ectomycorrhization, in the lateral roots of Pinus sylvestris, Pinus koraiensis, Pinus parviflora var. pentaphylla, Picea glehnii, Picea abies, and Tsuga diversifolia seedlings in vitro, which resembled those formed with the natural host Pinus densiflora. The strain conferred a discontinuous Hartig net with Pinus thunbergii, Picea yezoensis, Abies veitchii, and Larix kaempferi. However, no such development by this strain was observed on the roots of Quercus serrata, unlike T. bakamatsutake B1, a false matsutake that is symbiotic with oak trees. The data suggest that T. matsutake can be associated with diverse conifers but may establish ectomycorrhizal relationships only with specific host plant species.

Since the genus Protubera was erected in 1895 by Alfred Möller, fourteen species have been described in the genus, from tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of the globe. Based on morphological, ecological and molecular data, we concluded that only six species (P. borealis, P. jamaicensis, P. maracuja, P. nipponica, P. parvispora and P. sabulonensis) should be accepted in Protophallaceae. In this article we present an update of the genus from a morphological and phylogenetic perspective, including comments on the excluded and doubtful taxa, and a key for the accepted species. Additional morphological and ecological notes of P. maracuja, especially regarding features of peridium and substrata, as well as color photos, are presented.

A new species of Lindgomyces (L. griseosporus) is described and illustrated from submerged wood collected in a small stream in southern France. It is morphologically characterized by gray, narrowly fusiform ascospores with supramedian primary septum, which lacks a mucilaginous sheath at maturity. Its relationships with other species of Lindgomyces are discussed based on both morphology and 28S rDNA sequence comparisons. Lindgomyces ingoldianus, the type species of Lindgomyces, and L. cinctosporae are reported for the first time from Europe.

Morganella purpurascens previously known from Asia, Australia and Pacific Islands, is reported here for the first time from Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand. This species has tuberculated exoperidium, pitted endoperidium, paracapillitium abundant and minutely spiny basidiospores. A molecular phylogenetic analysis confirmed that this species is most closely related to known Morganella species and is positioned within Lycoperdon sensu lato. A description and illustration are provided.

A new species of Aspergillus and a new teleomorph for A. proliferans, both isolated from cereals in Iran, are described using morphological and molecular data. A combined sequence dataset of the ITS region, partial β-tubulin and partial calmodulin genes resolved the relationships of members of section Aspergillus largely in concordance with morphological traits of ascospores. Aspergillus osmophilus sp. nov. is differentiated from the closest species, A. xerophilus by possessing larger ascospores, conidia and associated fruiting bodies. Both species are strongly xerophilic and possess ascospores with lobate-reticulate convex surfaces. The newly discovered teleomorph for A. proliferans is characterized by delicately roughened ascospores with a shallow or distinct furrow and finely roughened to irregular equatorial crests.

The aggressiveness of 32 Fusarium graminearum strains isolated from durum wheat cultivated in Northern-Central Italy was assessed. The chemotype (15-acetyldeoxynivalenol-, 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol- or nivalenol-producer) of each strain was characterized with multiplex PCR. Two aggressiveness assays (single floret inoculation and the Petri-dish test), which yielded three aggressiveness indices, were used. One strain from southern Italy (moderately aggressive) was added as the positive control to evaluate the accuracy of the aggressiveness quantification in both assays. The results showed that all 32 F. graminearum strains are pathogenic and a wide range of aggressiveness levels was observed. The positive control strain is pathogenic and showed moderately aggressive in both assays, thus indicated that our aggressiveness quantifications are valid. Six highly aggressive strains, representing all three chemotypes, were stable in the different aggressiveness assays. There was no significant difference in aggressiveness among the three different chemotypes (P = 0.909–0.972) determined by three aggressiveness indices. Highly significant correlations of AUDPC_standard to mean and terminal disease severity (r = 0.91, P < 0.001 in both cases) reveal the potential of using the Petri-dish test for selection of F. graminearum inocula with the proper and/or varying aggressiveness levels for breeding purposes.

Fulvifomes hainanensis sp. nov. is described from tropical China. The new species resembles Fulvifomes rimosus, but differs by uncracked pileal surface, the presence of a black cuticle between tomentum and lower context, and ellipsoid basidiospores. In nuclear large subunit rDNA (nLSU) and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) based phylogenies, F. hainanensis formed a distinct lineage from other sequenced taxa in the Fulvifomes clade. Aurificaria indica, the type of Aurificaria, has typical morphological characters for Fulvifomes, such as lack of setae and production of colored basidiospores. It was transferred to Fulvifomes based on additional evidence from molecular phylogeny, and F. indicus was redescribed according to Chinese collections. Aurificaria, posterior to Fulvifomes, was thus treated as a taxonomic synonym of Fulvifomes, and the concept of Fulvifomes was accordingly emended to include Aurificaria species. Inonotus luteoumbrinus and I. porrectus are similar to F. indicus in morphology, and they were also supported as lineages in the Fulvifomes clade. However, taxonomical adjustments for the two species were not proposed as the specimens yielding their nLSU and ITS sequences were not reexamined in morphology in this study.