Gymnomyces dominguezii, a gasteroid fungus belonging to the Russulales, is described and illustrated as a new species. Its main taxonomic characters are discussed and compared with other species in the genus and those in Martellia and Zelleromyces.

This listing covers the period November 1, 1997 through to December 31, 1997. Citations are arranged in groups which roughly correspond with the British Mycological Society's Special Interest Committees. All correspondence about this item should be addressed to the Executive Editor. Reprints of this feature will not be available.

This issue of Mycological Research News features altruism within Dictyostelium colonies, and questions whether lichens protect or damage stonework.

This month's Mycological Research includes 16 papers. The first is a major contribution to knowledge of the diversity and ecology of coprophilous fungi, the most detailed to have appeared since 1972. Molecular studies focus on the Auriculariales and related orders, family and generic concepts in the Georgefischeriales, the Galerina marginata complex, Serpula lacrymans and S. himantioides, and lichenicolous fungi referred to Hobsonia and Marchandiomyces. A hydroxynaphthalene reductase gene from Ophiostoma floccosum has been cloned which complements a phenotype of Magnaporthe grisea, and chitin synthase sequences are reported in different arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

Fungi able to grow on toluene have been investigated, the potential of Rhynchosporium alismatis chlamydospores in weed biocontrol explored, and the behaviour of the conidia of the entomopathogen Erynia neoaphidis in air studied.

Systematic papers concern Leptographium species on pines, novel fungi on Juncus roemerianus, a new homothallic Mortierella, and Sphaerella species described from filmy ferns.

The following new scientific names are introduced: Eballistraceae fam. nov.; Eballistra, Hobsoniopsis, Illosporiopsis, Phragmotaenium, and Pycnodallia gens. nov.; Hymenopsis chlorothrix, Leptographium alethinum, L. euphyes, L. pityophilum, Mortierella tsukubaensis, and Pycnodallia dupla spp. nov.; Eballistra brachiariae (syn. Entyloma brachyariae), E. lineata (syn. Melanotaenium lineata), E. oryzae (syn. Entyloma oryzae), Hobsoniopsis santessonii (syn. Hobsonia santessonii), Illosporiopsis christiansenii (syn. Hobsonia christiansenii), Jamesdicksonia dactylis (syn. Thecaphora dactylidis), J. eleochartis (syn. Ustilago eleochartis), J. irregularis (syn. Entyloma irregulare), J. ischaemianum (syn. Melanotaenium ischaemianum), J. scirpicola (syn. E. scirpicola), Phragmotaenium indicum (syn. Melanotaenium indicum), and Trichothelium assurgens (syn. Sphaerella assurgens) combs. nov.

Arthrobotrys chazarica sp. nov. and Nematophagus tabrizicus sp. nov., which capture nematodes by means of adhesive networks, are described and illustrated.

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.

The hfa (high frequency of aneuploidy) mutants of Aspergillus nidulans carry conditional lethal (temperature-sensitive) defects which cause an increased frequency of aneuploids to be produced amongst their asexual progeny. When examined microscopically, most of the mutants grew and divided their nuclei at restrictive temperature, albeit more slowly than the wild-type, and aneuploidy was not attributable to an obvious cell cycle lesion. Exceptions were hfaB3 and hfaL1 which exhibited defects in nuclear division, although neither mutant arrested at a specific point in the cell cycle. Cells carrying hfaB3 contained only a single enlarged nucleus which was often transected (‘cut’) by the first septum and temperature-shift experiments showed that the mutation triggers aneuploidy by causing failure to properly exit mitosis. Although the hfaD1 mutant underwent nuclear division, it differed morphologically from wild-type by exhibiting a hyper-branching phenotype. The original hfaD1 isolate was shown also to carry a second unlinked mutation (designated hurA1) which confers resistance to hydroxyurea and partly alleviates the growth defects imposed by hfaD1.

Three new species of Stenella, S. heterophragmae, S. lantanae and S. buteae occurring on Heterophragma sp., Lantana indica and Butea parviflora, respectively, have been described and illustrated.

Fruiting colonies of Phellinus contiguus growing on an agar medium and explants from competent regions of dark-grown colonies were used to investigate differentiation of setae, which are a component of the hymenium. The majority of setae arose laterally from intercalary hyphal compartments. The first sign of seta differentiation was generalized swelling of a portion of the hyphal compartment. On explants 50% of the seta population reached the ensuing rounded tip, pointed tip and brown point stages 36, 52 and 68 h post-excision respectively. The distribution of setae on cut surfaces of explants after incubation for three days was in general similar to that of the much larger total hyphal population. However hyphae close to the source outer surface and on explants from older parts of source colonies had reduced capacity for seta differentiation. The spatial density of setae after three days was increased by addition of glucose to the explantation medium and reduced by addition of ammonium chloride. It is concluded that many of the hyphae near to cut surfaces of explants are competent to form setae and that the number which do so is limited by environment, possibly energy supply.

Three new species of Stenella, S. cassiicola, S. eugeniicola and S. rhododendricola, occurring on Cassia fistula, Eugenia heyniana and Rhododendron campanulatum, respectively, are described and illustrated.

The new combination Thanatephorus obscurus is proposed, based on a study of the type specimen of Ceratobasidium obscurum. The reports of this species as an orchid associate are based on misdeterminations. The unusual gelatinized basidiome of T. obscurus is discussed and compared with that of a new, unnamed taxon from the Cameroon rain forest.

The aim of this work was to use sexual reproduction to introduce new genotypes into natural populations of Cryphonectria parasitica, the cause of chestnut blight disease. Mating was initiated by painting conidia (which serve as spermatia) onto stromata in cankers initiated in the early spring. The matings yielded perithecia 161 and 180 d after canker initiation. Single-ascospore isolates from these perithecia included cultures with the phenotypes of conidia which had been painted onto the cankers as early as 17 d after canker initiation.

Gloeocantharellus lateritius and Lentinellus pseudobarbatus, previously known only from their type specimens, are described, illustrated and discussed based on fresh collections made in southern India.

Two new species, Pseudocercosporella arcuata and P. woodfordiana, on Rubus ellipticus and Woodfordia floribunda, respectively, are described and compared with related taxa.