Knowledge of the relationships and thus the classification of fungi, has developed rapidly with increasingly widespread use of molecular techniques, over the past 10–15 years, and continues to accelerate. Several genera have been found to be polyphyletic, and their generic concepts have subsequently been emended. New names have thus been introduced for species which are phylogenetically distinct from the type species of particular genera. The ending of the separate naming of morphs of the same species in 2011, has also caused changes in fungal generic names. In order to facilitate access to all important changes, it was desirable to compile these in a single document. The present article provides a list of generic names of Ascomycota (approximately 6500 accepted names published to the end of 2016), including those which are lichen-forming. Notes and summaries of the changes since the last edition of ‘Ainsworth & Bisby’s Dictionary of the Fungi’ in 2008 are provided. The notes include the number of accepted species, classification, type species (with location of the type material), culture availability, life-styles, distribution, and selected publications that have appeared since 2008. This work is intended to provide the foundation for updating the ascomycete component of the “Without prejudice list of generic names of Fungi” published in 2013, which will be developed into a list of protected generic names. This will be subjected to the XIXth International Botanical Congress in Shenzhen in July 2017 agreeing to a modification in the rules relating to protected lists, and scrutiny by procedures determined by the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi (NCF). The previously invalidly published generic names Barriopsis, Collophora (as Collophorina), Cryomyces, Dematiopleospora, Heterospora (as Heterosporicola), Lithophila, Palmomyces (as Palmaria) and Saxomyces are validated, as are two previously invalid family names, Bartaliniaceae and Wiesneriomycetaceae. Four species of Lalaria, which were invalidly published are transferred to Taphrina and validated as new combinations. Catenomycopsis Tibell & Constant. is reduced under Chaenothecopsis Vain., while Dichomera Cooke is reduced under Botryosphaeria Ces. & De Not. (Art. 59).

Notes for genera: Ascomycota

Revisiting Metarhizium and the description of new species from Thailand.

The entomophagous caterpillar fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis is consumed by its lepidopteran host as a plant endophyte

Polycephalomyces (Ophiocordycipitaceae) species are found in subtropical regions and are parasitic or hyperparasitic on insects. Two new species, P. aurantiacus and P. marginaliradians, parasitic on Ophiocordyceps barnesii and larva of Cossidae respectively, are introduced in this paper. Morphological comparison with extant species and DNA based phylogenies from analyses of a multigene dataset support the establishment of the new taxa. Polycephalomyces aurantiacus, exhibiting a hyperparasitic lifestyle on Ophiocordyceps barnesii, differs from other species in producing orange conidia in mass and have longer β-phialides in culture. Polycephalomyces marginaliradians differs from other Ophiocordyceps species by producing single stromata with a stipe, smaller perithecia and branched α-phialides and catenate α-conidia and is parasitic on Cossidae. A combined nrSSU, nrLSU, ITS, tef-1a, rpb1 and rpb2 sequence data was analysed phylogenetically including Ophiocordyceps and Polycephalomyces taxa. The new species described herein are clearly distinct from other species in Polycephalomyces. We provide a key to the species of Polycephalomyces and discuss relevant interspecies relationships.

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Multigene phylogenetics of Polycephalomyces (Ophiocordycipitaceae, Hypocreales), with two new species from Thailand

Fungal isolates GZUIFR-EM14.2002 and GZUIFR-EM66601 were respectively isolated from Chinese soil samples under the snake skin in Guizhou Province and from the soil samples under the feathers in Hubei Province, China. Morphological and molecular evidence support both isolates as new species of Chrysosporium . Phylogenetic analysis based on ITS-5.8S rDNA sequences grouped GZUIFR-EM14.2002 together with C . lucknowense and C . mephiticum . GZUIFR-EM14.2002, which could be distinguished from the latter two species by the presence of abundant intercalary conidia, was named C . guizhouens e sp. nov.  In the phylogenetic tree, GZUIFR-EM66601 was most closely related to C. submersum and C . siglerae , GZUIFR-EM66601 differed from the other two species in having small obovate to ellipsoidal conidia and no intercalary conidia; this strain was designated as C . hubeiense sp. nov. Holotypes and their isolates had been deposited in GZAC, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China.

/pdf/two-new-chrysosporium-onygenaceae-onygenales-from-china-38zd4hxz8v.pdf

Two new Chrysosporium (Onygenaceae, Onygenales) from China

A new entomogenous taxon, Metacordyceps shibinensis sp. nov., associated with a larva of Lepidoptera was found in Yuntai Mountains, Guizhou Province, China. It differs from similar species in its white to faint yellow stromata, short ascomata, and very short asci and ascospores. Combined sequence analyses of 5.8S-ITS rDNA, nrSSU, EF-1α and RPB1 gene-loci also confirmed the distinctiveness of this new species.

/pdf/metacordyceps-shibinensis-sp-nov-from-larvae-of-lepidoptera-2kpva47642.pdf

Qiang Wang

Papers

Metacordyceps shibinensis sp. nov. from larvae of Lepidoptera in Guizhou Province, southwest China