The biotrophic species of Phyllachoraceae associated with the angiosperm family Erythroxylaceae are examined, and five new species and one new subspecies proposed. Five species of Phyllachora are accepted, including the four undescribed taxa P. occultans from Mexico, P. usteriana subsp. piliformis and P. reticulata from Brazil, and P. tanensis from Madagascar. The new genus Fremitomyces is introduced for two undescribed species from East Africa and the Seychelles, which have initially brightly coloured stromata.

Mycological Research108 (1): 5–13 (January 2004).

Presidential Address

New angles in mycology: studies in directional growth and directional motility

Neil A. R. GOW

Figures 2 and 3 should have been reproduced as full colour figures on page 9 of the January issue. Pages 9 and 10 have been reprinted as they should have appeared on the following pages so that readers may replace the pages in their January issue if so desired.

The publishers would like to apologise to the author and their readers for this error.

Four field trips in a Podocarpus parlatorei forest in north-west Argentina yielded 240 collections of Coryneliales. Sixty-eight were of a new species, Tripospora militaris sp. nov., and the remainder belonged to Corynelia oreophila. A key to the four known Tripospora species is given.

Teliospore germination in Cintractia limitata and C. mitchellii is illustrated and shown to agree closely with that earlier reported in two other species of the genus. Basidial cells conjugate pairwise, and from each united pair a relatively large, and probably dikaryotic, blastoconidium is produced. In C. mitchellii, as a rare event, conjugation does not occur and cells of the basidium form small basidiospores. It is pointed out the course of teliospore germination in Cintractia spp. departs markedly from the standard Ustilago type.

This month Mycological Research News features the role of pathogenic Pythium species in the control of patterns of tree distribution in forests, unravelling the relationships of Rhizoctonia-like fungi, and homothallism in apotheciate lichens.

Amongst the 19 papers in this issue are molecular studies on Leptosphaeria maculans, Fusarium solani and Mortierella alpina. Two isozyme groups are reported within F. graminearum, the xylanases in Agaricus bisporus cultures are compared, and the enzymes of white-rot fungi studied. Effects of heavy metals on ericoid mycorrhizas, and the soluble carbohydrates in Pinus ectomycorrhizas have been analyzed. New data are presented on osmotic pressures and osmolytes, and the factors affecting branching in Neurospora. The endophytes of Rubus, and xylem degradation by Fistulina hepatica are explored. Plant pathological contributions include ones on karyotypes in Pyrenophora, Gibberella and Fusarium on teosinte and maize, and Aphanomyces on peas.

Revisions of Hygrocybe subgen. Hygrocybe in the Greater Antilles, and Harknessia species on Eucalyptus are reported, a new synnematal hyphomycete genus is described, and new species of Corynascus have been discovered.

The following new scientific names are introduced: Siamia gen. nov.; Corynascus sexualis, C. similis, C. verrucosus, Harknessia tasmaniensis, Hygrocybe chimaeroderma and S. luxuriosa spp. nov.; H. calyptriformis var. domingensis and H. konradii var. antillana vars. nov.; H. acutoconica var. microspora (syn. Hygrophorus acutoconicus var. microsporus), H. conica var. brevispora (syn. Hygrophorus nigrescens var. brevisporus), H. luteistipes (syn. Hygrophrus luteistipes) combs. nov.

Coccodothis sphaeroidea var. mexicana var. nov., a fungus parasitic on Juniperus flaccida, is described and compared with typical C. sphaeroidea.

Isolates of Phytophthora infestans of A1 mating type from central Mexico and Wales, when mated to a range of A2 isolates from Russian and Mexico, produced a proportion of abnormal oogonia with several oospheres. Similar oogonia were observed in self- fertile lines resulting from treatment of a Russian A1 isolate with a chemical mutagen followed by the fungicide, metalaxyl.

Changes caused by Septoria apiicola during the development of leaf spot disease in celery were quantified stereologically in susceptible cvs, a partially resistant parental wild celery line, fully resistant parsley and lovage. Thick sections, cut in vertical orientation, were stained and using a camera lucida, were superimposed on a lattice grid for stereological analysis. The volume of each component within the leaf space was calculated using the Cavalieri method.

In healthy tissue volume fractions of intercellular space, palisade layers and, to a lesser extent, collenchyma, vascular tissue and oil ducts were greater in the more resistant genotypes. This coincided with a reduction in the volume fraction of mesophyll tissue. Estimates of absolute volume fraction were similar. In both resistant and susceptible celery the principal response to infection was a substantial decrease in the volume fractions and absolute volumes of palisade and mesophyll tissue. Volume fractions of mesophyll and palisade tissues declined by 97% in susceptible lesions and by 98% in resistant lesions. The fungus was not observed in xylem or phloem cells. No appreciable changes were observed in either collenchyma or oil duct tissues in response to infection in resistant and susceptible genotypes. Infection had no effect on the epidermis or stomata and these remained intact until late in the infection cycle, when pycnidia erupted through the epidermis of the upper and lower leaf surfaces.

No hyphae were found in leaf sections of lovage or parsley, and fungal growth was severely restricted in all resistant material bred from wild celery. In wild celery lines, S. apiicola did not produce any, or produced very few, pycnidia and the volume fraction of vegetative hyphae was lower than that in susceptible cvs, where the fungus proliferated extensively within the lesions and many pycnidia were produced. This accounted for 30–50% of the fungal material in lesions on susceptible celery plants. The amount of fungus (21%) was less in lesions on resistant celery and in this material 96% of the fungus was present as vegetative hyphae. In lesions formed on susceptible celery 26% of the fungal tissue was reproductive and of that 11% was conidia whereas in resistant celery, where pycnidia were present, these structures were morphologically abnormal and did not contain conidia. Stereological analysis demonstrated clear differences in plant and pathogen response during infection of resistant and susceptible celery by S. apiicola.

This listing covers the period October 1, 1996 through to October 31, 1996. The last issue of one stop mycology contained an erratum: it covered the period September 1, 1996 to September 30, 1996 and not March 1, 1996 to April 30, 1996. Citations are arranged in groups which roughly correspond with the British Mycological Society's Special Interest Committees.

Results of a transmission and scanning electron microscopy study of the mitosporogenous process in Cercosporella ugandensis are given. The details hitherto deduced from light microscopy concerning mitospore initiation, maturation and secession are confirmed. In addition, an ultrastructural basis, in terms of wall layer deposition, is provided for mitospore maturation, scar structure and development, and mitospore secession. This implies a quite separate mode of delimitation and liberation in comparison to other fungi in the Cercospora-like generic assemblage.

This contribution of Mycological Research News features : New generic concepts in Verticillium sect. Prostrata, and The sterigmata of Volucrisporium: a clarification.

This issue includes 17 papers. The first describes a technique for genetically transforming ectomycorrhizal basidiomycetes. Molecular studies, often in association with other approaches, are applied to reassess species concepts in Polymyxa, explore the relationships of Melanospora and similar genera, examine lineages in violet root rot fungi, filament-beaked and other Alternaria species, Nectria galligena and N. coccinea var. faginata in North America, Phialophora gregata f. sp. sojae, the pine rusts Cronartium flaccidum and Peridermium pini, Rosellinia necatrix isolates from avocado, Claviceps purpurea populations on Spartina, Colletotrichum species on Hevea.

A major paper examines secondary metabolite profiles of 153 Alternaria isolates grown under standard conditions and assesses them in relation to morphological and RAPD data.

In addition, protein expression after low temperature exposure associated with fruit body formation in Flammulina velutipes is documented, the use of natural products to control sapstaining fungi reviewed, and the aerodynamics of conidia in Erynia neoaphidis and some other entomophthoralean fungi studied.

A new genus of mycorrhizal Cortinariaceae is described, and the Coemansia spiralis complex revised.

The following new scientific names are introduced: Anamika gen. nov.; Coemansia bainieri nom. nov.; A. indica, and C. linderi spp. nov.; and Polymyxa graminis f. sp. colombiana, f. sp subtropicalis, f. sp. tepida, f. sp. temperata, and f. sp. tropicalis f. spp. nov.

A species of Pseudocercospora causing foliar lesions on Hibbertia aspera (Dilleniaceae) is morphologically indistinguishable from a species of Pseudocercospora causing foliar lesions on Platylobiumformosum (Fabaceae) from the same locality. In order to assess the degree to which these fungi were related, we sequenced the ribosomal DNA ITS region of cultures derived from single conidial isolates. Cultures were obtained from four specimens of each respective host. The ITS sequences for cultures derived from the same host were identical, with the exception of one isolate that had a 4 bp insert, while the Pseudocercospora species from Hibbertia consistently differed at three bases from the species isolated from Platylobium. These data suggest that two distinct species of Pseudocercospora are represented, and that they probably result from a recent evolutionary divergence. P. platylobii and P. hibbertiae-asperae spp. nov. are described and illustrated.

Forty-two dikaryotic and 42 monokaryotic isolates, and 34 pairings were examined by horizontal polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) for six enzymatic activities, viz. EST, 6PGD, IDH, MDH, SHDH and SOD. 44 bands were analysed. Numerical analysis of the isoenzymatic patterns was undertaken and compared with those from morphological characters. The analysis of six enzymatic systems showed the existence of four monomorphic systems (IDH, MDH, SHDH and SOD). The sterease system (EST) appears to be polymorphic in Polyporus ciliatus and in populations of P. tenuiculus from Argentina, being monomorphic in the remaining species studied. The 6PGD system is polymorphic in P. tucumanensis and monomorphic in the other species. Predominance of monomorphic enzymes and a clear distribution of the electromorphs among the species, indicates that isoenzymatic analysis is a good taxonomic tool within Polyporus. The low intraspecific variability allowed the use of interspecific differences to separate species. Numerical analysis showed a good correlation between morphological and molecular characters. In the isoenzymatic phenogram the similarity index is high only among very close species, showing a stressed separation of species.

This issue of Mycological Research News features: Resolving congruence in molecular phylogenies; Common mycorrhizal networks in forests; Soil FungiLog; Saccharomyces cerevisiae provides clues to longevity; Genomic diversity under hypersaline stress and Small scale variation in natural Neurospora populations. An obituary for Stephen T. Moss (1943–2001), President of the Society in 2001, is also included.

This issue includes 11 original papers. These test the efficacy of the relative complexity measure (RCM) in the construction of phylogenetic trees on medically important fungi; reconcile morphological with molecular data in Claviceps; identify the oilseed poppy Peronospora; describe a new sequestrate agaric genus from Australia; recognize polymorphism in the laccase genes of Heterobasidion annosum; demonstrate dsRNA mycoviruses in H. annosum; survey mycotoxins in the Gibberella fujikuroi complex on maize; study the persistence of different Pochonia chlamydosporia strains in roots; describe the development of Cladosporium tenuissimum on Uromyces appendiculatus; examine the fungi associated with southern pine bark beetle Dendroctonus frontalis; and document the behaviour of Piptoporus quercinus in culture.

The following new scientific name is introduced in this part: Barcheria willisiana gen. sp. nov.