Mycena sect. Calodontes is a taxonomically intricate group comprising phylospecies so far not recognizable using a morphological recognition approach. In this study we re-examine and sequence Iberian material of Porpoloma aranzadii, including the type specimen. The dextrinoid lamellar trama and mycelial hyphae in the type specimen, the latter covered with crystals, suggest a placement in Mycena sect. Calodontes. The type specimen of M. pura f. brunnea is also examined and sequenced. We constructed an ITS dataset representing all European phylospecies reported in previous studies, and we coded indel information. Our phylogenetic analyses recovered strongly supported clades for all the phylospecies and indel information provides additional resolution in phylospecies delimitation. Porpoloma aranzadii sequences are encompassed in the M. dura clade and their synonymy is proposed. Further information on the macroscopic variability of M. dura is obtained. Within sect. Calodontes, M. dura is characterized by the fascicled or caespitose basidiomata, a grassland habitat and sometimes the lack of any raphanoid odour. Its distribution is extended to the Iberian Peninsula. The sequence obtained from the type of M. pura f. brunnea nests in M. pura clade 9. The new combination M. brunnea is proposed to formally refer to this clade at species rank. Mycena brunnea appears to be characterized by a predominantly brown pileus, the absence of deep purple tones and a forest habitat. Mycena brunnea is also macroscopically reminiscent of M. dura, but the former differs mainly in a gregarious growth of basidiomata and a forest habitat.

The genetic diversity within a set of 22 strains of Inonotus obliquus from 6 countries was assessed using SRAP marker. The number of polymorphic fragments detected per primer combination ranged from 20 to 52 with an average of 37.74. Twenty three SRAP primer combinations had generated a total of 868 bands of which 859 (98.62%) were polymorphic. The UPMGA cluster analysis revealed that the 22 strains of Inonotus obliquus could be divided into 4 groups with the genetic similarity of 0.68. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) clusters was consistent with the results of UPGMA. Its results confirmed the results of UPGMA cluster analysis. This is the first report of using SRAP marker as a tool for determining genetic variation among Inonotus obliquus.

Observations of the ultrastructural morphology of leaf segments of D. officinale with or without P. ultimum infection were made using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. FITC labelling was used to mark cellulose before and after infection by the pathogenic fungus, and observations were performed with a confocal laser-scanning microscope. The results showed that after infection by P. ultimum, the mycelia pierced the leaf tissue of D. officinale through the stomata of the guard cells gradually and changed into structures resembling penetration pegs under microscopy and SEM observations. The appressorium was observed to adhere to the stoma. Furthermore, the fluorescence intensity of cellulose labelled with FITC was much lower in D. officinale leaves infected by P. ultimum than in healthy leaves. Soft rot disease in D. officinale infection with P. ultimum might be related to direct penetration into the cell walls of the plant and the cellulases secreted by the pathogen, which partly contributed to step-by-step degradation of the cell walls of the host plant.

Species of Cantharellus contain carotenoid pigments, which produce yellow, orange and red colours. As microscopic characters are of limited value to separate species, colour has always been an important taxonomic character for species delimitation in Cantharellus. Entirely white Cantharellus or specimens lacking yellow pigments are occasionally reported from Europe, but it is unclear whether these represent independent species or are simply unusual colour variants of otherwise yellow species. The main objective of this study is to assess the taxonomic identity of such white and orange specimens using molecular data. In the context of an ongoing 4-gene phylogeny of European Cantharellus, an ITS2-LSU dataset representing all the European taxa was assembled, including 9 white and 3 orange specimens. Bayesian analyses revealed that white specimens may occasionally occur in C. amethysteus, C. cibarius, C. ferruginascens, C. pallens and C. romagnesianus, whereas orange specimens are found in C. cibarius and C. pallens. We therefore associate white specimens with an albinism phenomenon due to a possible absence of carotenoids. Accordingly, the names C. cibarius var. inodorus and C. cibarius f. pallidus are neotypified and synonymized with C. cibarius, while C. gallaecicus is considered a synonym of C. romagnesianus based on sequences from a paratype specimen of the former. Likewise, the name Cantharellus cibarius var. salmoneus is neotypified and falls in synonymy with C. cibarius.

Neomicrothyrium is an epiphytic genus that forms small black dots on the surface of living or dead fallen leaves, although it rarely causes any damage to the host. Based on its flattened thyriothecia, it was considered that Neomicrothyrium belongs in the order Microthyriales, a group of fungi that is relatively poorly studied. “Microthyriaceae”-like taxa appearing as small black dots on leaves were collected in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand, and studied using morphological characterization and phylogenetic analyses. As a result of molecular and morphological study, we established that Neomicrothyrium is linked to the asexual genus Zeloasperisporium and that we had collected two new taxa. Two new species, Zeloasperisporium ficusicola and Z. wrightiae are therefore introduced in this study based on morphology and phylogeny. Neomicrothyrium is linked to Zeloasperisporium and is therefore synonymized under the older name Zeloasperisporium. Phylogenetic analyses of combined LSU and SSU rDNA sequence data indicate that Zeloasperisporiaceae belong in the class Dothideomycetes, but clusters with Natipusillales in a distinct lineage from Microthyriales. We therefore introduce a new order, Zeloasperisporiales to accommodate the family Zeloasperisporiaceae. The life cycle of Zeloasperisporium species is remarkable. The sexual morph produces ascomata on the leaf surface and appears to lack any other structures and it is unclear how the ascomata obtain nutrients. The asexual morph produces conidia which can be found on the surface of plants, or in air, but it is also unclear how conidia obtain their nutrients. In this study, isolates from the sexual morph produced asexual morphs in culture.

Tirisporella beccariana, a monotypic marine ascomycete, commonly occurs on the lower base of fronds and rhizomes of the brackish water palm, Nypa fruticans. This fungus has globose to subglobose ascomata, immersed to superficial, ostiolate and periphysate, three layered peridium. It has cylindrical bitunicate-like asci, short peduncle, thick-walled, brown ascospores, 4–7 septate, falcate to lunate, verrucose, apical cell appendaged, hyaline basal cell pointed. Taxonomically it was originally assigned to the Dothideomycetes incertae sedis based on the bitunicate-like asci. During on-going investigations of mangrove fungi in Thailand, the fungus was found in intertidal regions in Trang and Trat provinces, Thailand. Maximum parsimony, likelihood and Bayesian analyses using partial SSU and LSU rDNA sequences place T. beccariana in the Diaporthales, Sordariomycetidae, Sordariomycetes; however, the familial level relationship was unidentified. This genus forms a distinct clade with Thailandiomyces bisetulosus isolated from senescent trunks of the palm Licuala longicalycata in Sirindhorn peat swamp forest, with a high statistical support, although they share few morphological features in common.

A revision of Pluteus section Hispidoderma occurring in Brazil is presented showing the occurrence of eight species considered certainly known in the country: P. fibrillosus, P. chusqueae, P. longistriatus, P. maculosipes, P. neochrysaegis, P. rimosellus, P. varzeicola and P. velutinus. Molecular analyses using ITS sequences showed the phylogenetic position of P. cf. fernandezianus, P. fibrillosus, P. longistriatus and P. velutinus. Pluteus fibrillosus, P. maculosipes and P. velutinus represent new records from Brazil. A type revision of P. varzeicola is also presented.

The authors describe ten new taxa for science using mostly both morphological and molecular data. In Ascomycota, descriptions are provided for Ceramothyrium ficus (Chaetothyriales, Eurotiomycetes), Lachnum fusiforme (Leotiomycetes, Helotiales), four new species in Dothideomycetes, namely Micropeltis dendrophthoes (Microthyriales), Montagnula bellevaliae and M. scabiosae (Pleosporales), Scorias mangiferae (Capnodiales), as well as for Mucodor coffeanum (Xylariales, Sordariomycetes). In Basidiomycota, three new subgenera are introduced in Russula (Russulales).