Two compounds were isolated from the edible mushroom Leccinum extremiorientale. In the bioassay examining plant growth regulatory activity using lettuce, compound 1 promoted the root growth as low as 100 nmol/paper dose-dependently and inhibited the hypocotyl growth at 1000 nmol/paper. Compound 2 inhibited the root and hypocotyl growth at 1000 nmol/paper.

Four compounds (1–4) were isolated from the culture broth of fairy ring-forming fungus Lepista sordida. In the bioassay examining plant growth regulatory activity using bentgrass, compounds 1, 2 and 4 inhibited the root growth at 100 and 1000 nmol/paper. Among them, compound 1 showed the strongest inhibitory activity against the root.

Strigula has traditionally been circumscribed based on morphology, but species delimitation in the genus generally lacks comprehensive analyses. Molecular approach has now been applied to foliicolous material of the genus from tropical areas in China. On the basis of combined phenotype and genotype, Strigula univelbiserialis is described as a new species and Strigula delicata, S. janeirensis are reported as two new records in China.

An examination of the isolates of Ceratocystis fimbriata from corms of Araceae (Colocasia esculenta, taro, and Xanthosoma sagittifolium) from Hawaii and Fiji found that they represent a new species, Ceratocystis uchidae. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the new species is in the Asian-Australian clade of the C. fimbriata complex, and it is most closely related to C. polychroma from Indonesia and C. cercfabiensis from China. Ceratocystis uchidae differs from these species in its shorter perithecial necks, longer ostiolar hyphae, and reduced growth at 32 °C compared to 30 °C. An unnamed species on Eucalyptus sp. from Yunnan, China was similar to C. uchidae, but C. uchidae forms shorter perithecial necks, and the two species were not interfertile in mating tests. Crossing of mating testers demonstrated that C. uchidae and C. polychroma also were not interfertile. Isolates of C. cercfabiensis showed substantial variation in mycelial morphology, with frequent sectoring. Perithecial necks of C. cercfabiensis varied greatly in length, and perithecia with the longest necks failed to exude ascospores. Also, tester strains of C. cercfabiensis were partially interfertile with tester strains of C. uchidae. Ceratocystis cercfabiensis appears to be an aberrant species and may be a hybrid between two other species of Ceratocystis.

Three novel oleaginous yeasts were isolated from soil collected around Kalimantan Island, Indonesia. Based on their morphological and biochemical characteristics and sequence typing using the D1/D2 domain of the large subunit (LSU) rRNA and translation elongation factor 1 alpha gene (EF-1α), the eight strains were shown to be novel species and were named Lipomyces maratuensis sp. nov. (type strain: NBRC 110264^T = InaCC Y720^T = JSAT12-2-Y011^T; MycoBank no. MB 816185), Lipomyces tropicalis sp. nov. (type strain: NBRC 110265^T = InaCC Y730^T = JSAT12-2-Y012^T; MycoBank no. MB 816186), and Lipomyces kalimantanensis f.a., sp. nov. (type strain: NBRC 110267^T = InaCC Y721^T = JSAT12-2-Y029^T; MycoBank no. MB 816187). Strain NBRC 110264 exhibited high lipid production.

Conioscypha nakagirii, a novel fungus, is described and illustrated from decaying submerged wood collected in a small stream in Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand. Morphologically, it differs from known Conioscypha species and similar taxa in that it has large, turbinate to pyriform, black and smooth-walled conidia. Phylogenetic analysis of three loci (nuc 18S and nuc 28S, and RPB2) supports a placement of this taxon as a new species in Conioscypha (Conioscyphales, Hypocreomycetidae, Sordariomycetes), as a sister group to a clade including C. lignicola, C. japonica, C. varia and C. peruensis, and shares some morphological characteristics with C. fabiformis and C. taiwaniana. Both morphological and molecular evidence justifies the introduction of the new species, C. nakagirii.

Tricholoma matsutake is an ectomycorrhizal fungus that produces the prized mushrooms “matsutake” in association with the Pinaceae. Other species of Tricholoma sect. Caligata are also ectomycorrhizal symbionts that produce a variety of “quasi-matsutake” mushrooms. Here we developed agar plate assays using the dye-linked substrates azurine-crosslinked (AZCL) hydroxyethyl cellulose and AZCL-amylose to differentiate T. matsutake strains and related species based on their polysaccharide-degrading activities. This method may be useful for screening strains that adapt well to spawn cultivation for mushroom fruiting.

Cantharellus hainanensis (Cantharellaceae, Cantharellales), a member of Cantharellus subgenus Cantharellus, is described as a new species from Hainan Island, a tropical region of China. It is morphologically characterized by a small-sized basidioma, a yellow pileal surface without an orange tinge, a smooth to faintly veined hymenophore, smaller basidiospores, and its association with the Lithocarpus in tropical China. The phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences from the translation elongation factor 1-α gene (TEF1) also confirms that it forms an independent lineage within the subgenus Cantharellus. A detailed description, color photos of fresh basidiomata and line-drawings of microstructures are presented.

A basidiomycetous yeast, Pseudozyma tsukubaensis, has been isolated from a variety of plant materials. Previous molecular phylogenetic analyses have suggested this yeast is an asexual stage of the smut fungus Macalpinomyces spermophorus (synonym Ustilago spermophora, Ustilaginales). To reveal the teleomorph–anamorph connection, yeast-like isolates from germinated teliospores of morphologically identified M. spermophorus on Eragrostis ferruginea from Japan were analyzed. The internal transcribed spacer region of rDNA of the yeast isolates was mostly identical with that of known isolates of P. tsukubaensis. Physiological analysis showed that the characteristics of the yeast isolates correlated well with P. tsukubaensis. These data revealed that P. tsukubaensis is the anamorph of M. spermophorus and should be treated as a synonym of M. spermophorus. In addition, the erythritol-producing ability of the yeast isolates derived from teliospores of M. spermophorus were confirmed by high-performance ion-exchange chromatography and ¹³C NMR analyses.

A new poroid wood-inhabiting fungal species, Hyphodermella poroides, is proposed based on morphological and molecular evidences. The species is characterized by resupinate basidiocarps with cream to orange pore surface, a monomitic hyphal system with generative hyphae bearing simple septa, and broadly ellipsoid, hyaline, thin-walled, smooth, IKI−, CB− basidiospores. The phylogenetic analyses based on ITS + nLSU sequences showed that H. poroides formed a single group with a strong support and was closely related to H. corrugata and H. rosae, and then grouped with Pirex concentricus. Both morphological and molecular evidences confirmed the placement of the new species in Hyphodermella.

Japanese species of Amanita section Caesareae, “Kitamagotake” with a uniformly yellow pileus, and “Chatamagotake” with an olive-brown pileus, formerly treated as “A. javanica” and “A. similis”, respectively, were taxonomically reevaluated. Specimens of Japanese “A. javanica” and “A. similis” are morphologically distinct from Southeast Asian A. javanica and A. similis sensu stricto, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region, the 28S large subunit regions of nuclear ribosomal RNA, and translation elongation factor 1 (tef-1) genes showed that both Japanese entities are distinct from any previously described species of the Amanita section Caesareae, including A. javanica and A. similis sensu stricto. Therefore, we have described them as new species, namely A. kitamagotake and A. chatamagotake, respectively. Interestingly, specimens of A. caesareoides, which normally exhibit a red pileus, and A. chatamagotake included yellow color variants. The original Japanese “A. javanica” specimen was not morphologically consistent with A. kitamagotake but was determined to be a yellow color variant of A. chatamagotake. These results demonstrate the importance of precise morphological observation and molecular analysis for species identification of Amanita section Caesareae with yellow or brown pilei.

Phylogenetic analyses of insect-derived isolates of the Metarhizium anisopliae and M. flavoviride species complexes in Japan were conducted to reveal their species diversity. Fifty-seven isolates were identified as nine species, including one species first reported for Japan. Metarhizium pingshaense was the most frequently isolated species from this genus, and the 29 isolates of M. pingshaense came from six orders and 14 families of insects. New host–pathogen associations were found for two species with relatively narrow host ranges: Hymenoptera-M. pemphigi, Orthoptera- and Phasmatodea-M. majus.