Notes on the nomenclature and taxonomy of British species recorded in the genus Tazzetta, and in its synonym Pustularia, are presented. The new combination T. scotica is proposed, with a neotype designated. Four species are recognised as British, and a key for their identification provided.

Taiwanascus tetrasporus gen. et sp. nov., a lignicolous, superficial, cleistothecial and appendaged ascomycete with unitunicate, 4-spored, deliquescent asci and hyaline, aseptate to 1-septate, filiform ascospores is described and illustrated. It is assigned to a new family, Taiwanascaceae in the unitunicate ascomycetes.

The zygomycete Phycomyces blakesleeanus has a 30 Mb genome with a 35% content of guanine and cytosine (GC). We determined the GC content in Phycomyces genes and fragments of genes available in public databases, the frequency of nucleotides in each codon position, and the codon usage. We observed a difference of 18% between the GC content of protein-coding and non-coding DNA. This large difference allowed the visualization of protein-coding DNA by plotting the GC content along a segment of Phycomyces DNA. We have identified a high GC DNA segment linked to the pyrG genes of the zygomycete genera Phycomyces, Mucor, and Blakeslea that corresponds to the 3′ end of the gene responsible for the protein kinase C.

Employing a single DNA primer targeted to clustered tRNA genes, a PCR system has been developed which can be used to uniquely identify different strains of the zygomycete Mortierella alpina. The procedure enjoys advantages over the RAPD-PCR technique in that the single primer operates robustly within a range of PCR conditions, and can be used successfully for members of many fungal genera. As a result of the tendency of some repetitive DNA elements to integrate near to tRNA gene clusters, the possibility that this technique may be extended to identify new examples of retrotransposons and tRNA-derived short interspersed repetitive elements (SINES) is discussed.

This number of Mycological Research News features confusion over the identity of Trichoderma strains used in biocontrol, and recent changes made to the classification of Coprinus. Attention is also drawn to the new address of the Executive Editor.

Thirteen papers are included in this issue, three with widespread implications for our understanding of particular groups of fungi resulting from a combination of molecular and anatomical studies: the European poroid Hymenochaetales, the lichenized ascomycete family Bacidiaceae, and the Exobasidiales/Microstromatales.

Other molecular studies examine Ephelis isolates on grasses, compare the β-tubulin gene of Melampsora lini with that of other fungi, establish anamorph connections and synonymy in Cordyceps sinensis, variation in Botrytis elliptica, and the identification of ectomycorrhizal fungi in Eucalyptus ecosystems.

Phosphorous uptake in Phanerochaete velutina in relation to soil water potential has been studied. In Metarhizium anisopliae, proteins formed by cold-active isolates are documented, and the effect of different UV-B wavelengths explored. Effects of heavy metals on two fungi from polluted and clean streams are compared, and fungal mycelium preserved in amber 15–45 Myr old from the Dominican Republic is described.

The following new scientific names are introduced: Volvocisporiaceae fam. nov.; Pseudoinonotus, and Volvocisporium gens. nov.; Fuscoporia torulosa (syn. Polyporus torulosus), F. wahlbergii (syn. Trametes wahlbergii), Mensularia hastifera (syn. Inonotus hastifera), M. nodulosa (syn. Polyporus nodulosus), Pseudoinonotus chrondromyelus (syn. Inonotus chondromyelus), P. dryadeus (syn. Boletus dryadeus), P. victoriensis (syn. Polyporus victoriensis), and V. triumfetticola (syn. Muribasidiopsora triumfetticola) combs. nov.

The coelomycete Melanconiopsis microspora is introduced as a new species from bamboo culms collected in Argentina. Its comparison with the type species of the genus, M. inquinans (from which it differs in the smaller conidia), also resulted in a reappraisal of M. olivacea which is referred back to Sphaeropsis as S. olivacea, the third accepted species in the genus. M. elzoi is probably accommodated in Endomelanconium as a fourth accepted species; notes on the known species in this genus are given.

An obscure parasitic fungus, Basidiolum fimbriatum, was found on Amoebidium parasiticum (Amoebidiales) associated with Caenis sp. (mayfly) nymphs, during a survey of gut fungi (Trichomycetes) from a small stream in northeastern Kansas, USA. The hindguts of the nymphs harboured a species of Legeriomycetaceae and Paramoebidium sp. This is the first report of the ectocommensal protozoan, A. parasiticum, associated with the gills of Caenidae (Ephemeroptera), and of B. fimbriatum in the 142 years since its original documentation from Wiesbaden, Germany. B. fimbriatum is recorded from two midwestern USA states (Kansas and Iowa) and the morphological and developmental features of the parasite on its host are compared with Cienkowski's original observations and interpretation. B. fimbriatum is characterized as a parasitic fungus possessing merosporangia that form on a simple pyriform thallus that penetrates and consumes its host via a haustorial network. The hypothesis that B. fimbriatum is most closely related to members of the order Zoopagales sensu Benjamin (1979) is proposed. The importance of future collections and molecular-based phylogenetic approaches to place this parasitic fungus within a current system of classification are highlighted.

Ultrathin sections of five spore stages of C. ribicola were incubated with wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), which binds to chitin, followed by an ovomucoid-gold complex, which binds to WGA and examined by TEM. Labelling experiments showed the presence of chitin in all five stages of the fungus, although the distribution of chitin varied among spore stages. Competitive inhibition studies with triacetyl chitotriose showed that WGA bound to cell walls of basidiospores much more strongly than other spore types, requiring a 10-fold increase in concentration over that required for the other spore types to achieve complete inhibition.

Hainesia marsdeniae sp. nov. is described and illustrated from dead leaves of ?Cornus sp. collected in the U.K. It is compared with known Hainesia species and those coelomycetes with cupulate conidiomata that it resembles.

A new species of Crocicreas is reported on overwintered stems of Epifagus virginianus in New York State in apparently non-organic association with sclerotia of Sclerotium orobanches, itself a rarely reported fungus. The changing concepts of the generic names Crocicreas and Cyathicula are discussed in regard to placement of the new taxon.

Field observations indicated that a morphotype of Albatrellus subrubescens seemed connected to Picea abies and lime rich soils, while the original morphotype seemed connected with Pinus sylvestris and indifferent to lime. We conducted a molecular study (ITS sequencing of 22 Albatrellus specimens) to test the hypothesis that we in fact had discovered a new species. Our results confirmed the hypothesis, i.e. the Picea taxon (604 bp ITS) had little intraspecific variation in spite of 1600 km distance between samples, but compared with the Pinus taxon (598 bp ITS) the sequence difference was constantly 5.6% regardless of close distance (75 km). We describe the new species A. citrinus, which apart from ecology and ITS sequence, is different from A. subrubescens by a distinct yellowing with age, lack of dark spots of the cap, a mild taste and somewhat narrower spores. A. citrinus seems to be more related to A. ovinus than to A. subrubescens, and A. syringae may not even be a true Albatrellus.

Saprobic fungi were identified among the material collected during the Benelux Lichenological Expedition to Papua New Guinea in 1992. These include many widespread species, especially those found on high altitude, some of which are reported here for the first time from the Southern Hemisphere. Papilionovela albothallina gen. et sp. nov. is described and illustrated. Xylopezia is referred to the Hyponectriaceae.

Asterina hopiicola, Asterinella pterigotae, Echidnodella memecyli and Lembosia humboltiae are described and illustrated as new species.

Scolecotheca cornuta gen. et sp. nov. is introduced for a fungus which colonizes and causes lesions on algae which occur on needles of Picea abies in Denmark and elsewhere in Europe. It is characterized by cornute conidiomata and scolecosporous aseptate conidia with a basal lateral appendage. Comparisons are made with other coelomycete genera having cornute to infundibular conidiomata and similar conidial morphology.

Germination of primary and secondary conidia of 33 strains (12 spp.) of co-occurring Conidiobolus and Basidiobolus from three closely adjacent managed habitats was studied in relation to general nutrient level, water activity of substratrum, light and temperature. A further 26 strains (16 spp.) derived from culture collections, and including insect pathogens and saprotrophs, were also compared. Nutrient levels triggering germ-tube formation differed widely amongst strains ; capilliconidial strains and/or presumptive pathogens usually had a low threshold. Successive generations of globose replicative conidia formed alternative conidial forms in increasing proportions. Water activity (aw) strong influenced development of non-globose conidial forms (microconidia, capilliconidia and actively discharged elongate conidia). Profiles of response to nutrients, aw, temperature and light differed between strains (and species) and the comparison represents a first stage in determining niche differentiation, including the putative interactions of these common fungi with litter invertebrates.

A worldwide collection of strains of Cryphonectria parasitica was examined to draw a precise picture of the incidence and diversity of mitochondrial plasmids related to the plasmid pUG1. Amplification by specific PCR of 199 strains showed the presence of pUG1-like plasmids in 22% of the populations examined. The entire plasmid molecules were amplified by multiplex PCR and the products showed different RFLP patterns. The variability was mostly in a non-coding region of the molecule that has been sequenced in some representative strains, enabling the molecular evolution of the molecule to be elucidated. The data show that mitochondrial plasmids of C. parasitica comprise an almost homogeneous family (designated pCp) that can be divided into two clusters based on the presence/absence respectively of a 60 nucleotide region in North American and European plasmids.

Samples from the intertidal zone of mooring posts of oak standing in Svanemøllen Harbour and samples from fallen oak trees lying in the waterline at Strandegaard Dyrehave were examined for the occurrence of marine lignicolous fungi. Buxetroldia bisaccata gen. et sp. nov., belonging to the Halosphaeriaceae, was encountered and is described from light microscope (LM) and SEM studies. The taxonomic position of B. bisaccata is discussed especially in relation to Tunicatispora australiensis; the main difference between the two species is found in the structure of the ascospore appendages.

A polyclonal antibody was raised against microsomes prepared from Cunninghamella elegans and used to screen a C. elegans cDNA library. A cDNA clone from this screen was obtained, which corresponds to the C. elegans enolase gene. A single open reading frame (ORF) of 1311 bases was found, which encodes a protein of mol. wt 46882.9. The gene was found to start with an unusual initiation codon TCG, not a standard ATG codon. This was demonstrated first by ORF analysis of the determined sequence and was further confirmed by alignment of the protein with other published enolase sequences. The enolase gene was sub-cloned and over-expressed in Escherichia coli using the expression vector pQE30. Purified recombinant protein from this sub-clone showed the predicted molecular size in SDS–PAGE gel separations. Enolase enzyme activity was also detected that indicating the TCG initiation codon was correct. The C. elegans enolase was found to cluster with other fungal enolases in a phylogenetic analysis. Bacterial enolases and those of animals were separated in different clusters.

Intraspecific heterogeneity among 27 Asian monoconidial isolates and four ATCC ex-type cultures of Monascus purpureus from red rice and sufu was revealed as mycelial compatibility groups (MCGs) using mycelial reactions of 496 mycelial parings. Among 88 pairs, at least three kinds of mycelial incompatible reactions were found at the interaction zone of confronting colonies as: (1) closely forming but not overlapping colonies; (2) sparsely forming aerial mycelia; and (3) thick mycelial band followed by mycelial deterioration of one partner. A mycelial-free zone was not found in any interaction. Compatible interactions were evidenced by freely intermingled hyphae with no apparent inhibition of growth of either partner. At least six MCGs were found based on compatible reactions. MCG1 and MCG2 consisted of 11 isolates, mostly from Thailand. Also, MCG1 contained two ATCC ex-type cultures, ATCC16365 (from Indonesia) and ATCC26264 (from Taiwan). In addition to nine Thai isolates, MCG2 included T9·1 isolate from China and isolate ATCC16427. Furthermore, four small MCGs of M. purpureus were identified. MCG3 (isolates A4·8 & TT4·2) and MCG4 (isolates 10 & M6) were comprised of isolates from Thailand. MCG6 consisted of Japanese isolate M22, and ATCC16360. Isolate ATCC16360 was of unknown origin and previously had been identified as M. anka. MCG5 consisted of Japanese isolate M20 and two Thai isolates, M13 & M14. The result indicated the Thai isolates of MCG1 (16·1, T8·6, TT2·3, TT5·1, M1, M2, M3, M7 & SR) were the same clone as those isolates from Indonesia and Taiwan. Also, the Thai isolates of MCG2 (4, 8, 11, TT1·1, M4, M8, M15, M17 & M18) along with the Chinese isolate T9·1 and ATCC16427 were from the same genetic origin. This study was correlated to those of RAPD analysis of genetic variation within a collection of Monascus spp. isolated from red rice and sufu. M. purpureus isolates used as a starter culture of red rice production among Asian countries were from a rather restricted genetic pool, e.g. China, Taiwan and Japan, although the isolates of M. purpureus studied were moderately genetically diverse.