ALBERT

Description: The Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFSC) includes more than 60 phylogenetic species (phylospecies) with both phytopathological and clinical importance. Because of their economical relevance, a stable taxonomy and nomenclature is crucial for species in the FFSC. To attain this goal, we examined type specimens and representative cultures of several species by employing morphology and phylogenetic analyses based on partial gene fragments of the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1), beta-tubulin (tub2), calmodulin (cmdA), RNA polymerase largest subunit (rpb1) and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2). Based on these results three new species were delimited in the FFSC. Two of these phylospecies clustered within the African clade, and one in the American clade. Epitypes were also designated for six previously described FFSC species including F. proliferatum and F. verticillioides, and a neotype designated for F. subglutinans. Furthermore, both F. acutatum and F. ophioides, which were previously invalidly published, are validated.

Description: Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Australia, Aschersonia mackerrasiae on whitefly, Cladosporium corticola on bark of Melaleuca quinquenervia, Penicillium nudgee from soil under Melaleuca quinquenervia, Pseudocercospora blackwoodiae on leaf spot of Persoonia falcata, and Pseudocercospora dalyelliae on leaf spot of Senna alata. Bolivia, Aspicilia lutzoniana on fully submersed siliceous schist in high-mountain streams, and Niesslia parviseta on the lower part and apothecial discs of Erioderma barbellatum onatwig. Brazil, Cyathus bonsai on decaying wood, Geastrum albofibrosum from moist soil with leaf litter, Laetiporus pratigiensis on a trunk of a living unknown hardwood tree species, and Scytalidium synnematicum on dead twigs of unidentified plant. Bulgaria, Amanita abscondita on sandy soil in a plantation of Quercus suber. Canada, Penicillium acericola on dead bark of Acer saccharum, and Penicillium corticola on dead bark of Acer saccharum. China, Colletotrichum qingyuanense on fruit lesion of Capsicum annuum. Denmark, Helminthosphaeria leptospora on corticioid Neohypochnicium cremicolor. Ecuador (Galapagos), Phaeosphaeria scalesiae on Scalesia sp. Finland, Inocybe jacobssonii on calcareouss oils in dry forests and park habitats. France, Cortinarius rufomyrrheus on sandy soil under Pinus pinaster, and Periconia neominutissima on leaves of Poaceae. India, Coprinopsis fragilis on decaying bark of logs, Filoboletus keralensis on unidentified woody substrate, Penicillium sankaranii from soil, Physisporinus tamilnaduensis on the trunk of Azadirachta indica, and Poronia nagaraholensis on elephant dung. Iran, Neosetophoma fic on infected leaves of Ficus elastica. Israel, Cnidariophoma eilatica (incl. Cnidariophoma gen. nov.) from Stylophora pistillata. Italy, Lyophyllum obscurum on acidic soil. Namibia, Aureobasidium faidherbiae on dead leaf of Faidherbia albida, and Aureobasidium welwitschiae on dead leaves of Welwitschia mirabilis. Netherlands, Gaeumannomycella caricigena on dead culms of Carex elongata, Houtenomyces caricicola (incl. Houtenomyces gen. nov.) on culms of Carex disticha, Neodacampia ulmea (incl. Neodacampia gen. nov.) on branch of Ulmus laevis, Niesslia phragmiticola on dead standing culms of Phragmites australis, Pseudopyricularia caricicola on culms of Carex disticha, and Rhodoveronaea nieuwwulvenica on dead bamboo sticks. Norway, Arrhenia similis half-buried and moss-covered pieces of rotting wood in grass-grownpath. Pakistan, Mallocybe ahmadii on soil. Poland, Beskidomyces laricis (incl. Beskidomyces gen. nov.) from resin of Larix decidua ssp. polonica, Lapidomyces epipinicola from sooty mould community on Pinus nigra, and Leptographium granulatum from a gallery of Dendroctonus micans on Picea abies. Portugal, Geoglossum azoricum on mossy areas of laurel forest areas planted with Cryptomeria japonica, and Lunasporangiospora lusitanica from a biofilm covering a bio deteriorated limestone wall. Qatar, Alternaria halotolerans from hypersaline sea water, and Alternaria qatarensis from water sample collected from hypersaline lagoon. South Africa, Alfaria thamnochorti on culm of Thamnochortus fraternus, Knufia aloeicola on Aloe gariepensis, Muriseptatomyces restionacearum (incl.Muriseptatomyces gen. nov.) on culms of Restionaceae, Neocladosporium arctotis on nest of cases of bagworm moths(Lepidoptera, Psychidae) on Arctotis auriculata, Neodevriesia scadoxi on leaves of Scadoxus puniceus, Paraloratospora schoenoplecti on stems of Schoenoplectus lacustris, Tulasnella epidendrea from the roots of Epidendrum × obrienianum, and Xenoidriella cinnamomi (incl. Xenoidriella gen. nov.) on leaf of Cinnamomum camphora. South Korea, Lemonniera fraxinea on decaying leaves of Fraxinus sp. frompond. Spain, Atheniella lauri on the bark of fallen trees of Laurus nobilis, Halocryptovalsa endophytica from surface-sterilised, asymptomatic roots of Salicornia patula, Inocybe amygdaliolens on soil in mixed forest, Inocybe pityusarum on calcareous soil in mixed forest, Inocybe roseobulbipes on acidic soils, Neonectria borealis from roots of Vitis berlandieri × Vitis rupestris, Sympoventuria eucalyptorum on leaves of Eucalyptus sp., and Tuber conchae fromsoil. Sweden, Inocybe bidumensis on calcareous soil. Thailand, Cordyceps sandindaengensis on Lepidoptera pupa, buried in soil, Ophiocordyceps kuchinaraiensis on Coleoptera larva, buried in soil, and Samsoniella winandae on Lepidoptera pupa, buriedinsoil. Taiwan region (China), Neophaeosphaeria livistonae on dead leaf of Livistona rotundifolia. Türkiye, Melanogaster anatolicus on clay loamy soils. UK, Basingstokeomyces allii (incl. Basingstokeomyces gen. nov.) on leaves of Allium schoenoprasum. Ukraine, Xenosphaeropsis corni on recently dead stem of Cornus alba. USA, Nothotrichosporon aquaticum (incl. Nothotrichosporon gen. nov.) from water, and Periconia philadelphiana from swab of coil surface. Morphological and culture characteristics for these new taxa are supported by DNA barcodes.

Description: Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Algeria, Phaeoacremonium adelophialidum from Vitis vinifera. Antarctica, Comoclathris antarctica from soil. Australia, Coniochaeta salicifolia as endophyte from healthy leaves of Geijera salicifolia, Eremothecium peggii in fruit of Citrus australis, Microdochium ratticaudae from stem of Sporobolus natalensis, Neocelosporium corymbiae on stems of Corymbia variegata, Phytophthora kelmanii from rhizosphere soil of Ptilotus pyramidatus, Pseudosydowia backhousiae on living leaves of Backhousia citriodora, Pseudosydowia indooroopillyensis, Pseudosydowia louisecottisiae and Pseudosydowia queenslandica on living leaves of Eucalyptus sp. Brazil, Absidia montepascoalis from soil. Chile, Ilyonectria zarorii from soil under Maytenus boaria. Costa Rica, Colletotrichum filicis from an unidentified fern. Croatia, Mollisia endogranulata on deteriorated hardwood. Czech Republic, Arcopilus navicularis from tea bag with fruit tea, Neosetophoma buxi as endophyte from Buxus sempervirens, Xerochrysium bohemicum on surface of biscuits with chocolate glaze and filled with jam. France, Entoloma cyaneobasale on basic to calcareous soil, Fusarium aconidiale from Triticum aestivum, Fusarium juglandicola from buds of Juglans regia. Germany, Tetraploa endophytica as endophyte from Microthlaspi perfoliatum roots. India, Castanediella ambae on leaves of Mangifera indica, Lactifluus kanadii on soil under Castanopsis sp., Penicillium uttarakhandense from soil. Italy, Penicillium ferraniaense from compost. Namibia, Bezerromyces gobabebensis on leaves of unidentified succulent, Cladosporium stipagrostidicola on leaves of Stipagrostis sp., Cymostachys euphorbiae on leaves of Euphorbia sp., Deniquelata hypolithi from hypolith under a rock, Hysterobrevium walvisbayicola on leaves of unidentified tree, Knufia hypolithi and Knufia walvisbayicola from hypolith under a rock, Lapidomyces stipagrostidicola on leaves of Stipagrostis sp., Nothophaeotheca mirabibensis (incl. Nothophaeotheca gen. nov.) on persistent inflorescence remains of Blepharis obmitrata, Paramyrothecium salvadorae on twigs of Salvadora persica, Preussia procaviicola on dung of Procavia sp., Sordaria equicola on zebra dung, Volutella salvadorae on stems of Salvadora persica. Netherlands, Entoloma ammophilum on sandy soil, Entoloma pseudocruentatum on nutrient poor (acid) soil, Entoloma pudens on plant debris, amongst grasses. New Zealand, Amorocoelophoma neoregeliae from leaf spots of Neoregelia sp., Aquilomyces metrosideri and Septoriella callistemonis from stem discolouration and leaf spots of Metrosideros sp., Cadophora neoregeliae from leaf spots of Neoregelia sp., Flexuomyces asteliae (incl. Flexuomyces gen. nov.) and Mollisia asteliae from leaf spots of Astelia chathamica, Ophioceras freycinetiae from leaf spots of Freycinetia banksii, Phaeosphaeria caricis-sectae from leaf spots of Carex secta. Norway, Cuphophyllus flavipesoides on soil in semi-natural grassland, Entoloma coracis on soil in calcareous Pinus and Tilia forests, Entoloma cyaneolilacinum on soil semi-natural grasslands, Inocybe norvegica on gravelly soil. Pakistan, Butyriboletus parachinarensis on soil in association with Quercus baloot. Poland, Hyalodendriella bialowiezensis on debris beneath fallen bark of Norway spruce Picea abies. Russia, Bolbitius sibiricus on а moss covered rotting trunk of Populus tremula, Crepidotus wasseri on debris of Populus tremula, Entoloma isborscanum on soil on calcareous grasslands, Entoloma subcoracis on soil in subalpine grasslands, Hydropus lecythiocystis on rotted wood of Betula pendula, Meruliopsis faginea on fallen dead branches of Fagus orientalis, Metschnikowia taurica from fruits of Ziziphus jujube, Suillus praetermissus on soil, Teunia lichenophila as endophyte from Cladonia rangiferina. Slovakia, Hygrocybe fulgens on mowed grassland, Pleuroflammula pannonica from corticated branches of Quercus sp. South Africa, Acrodontium burrowsianum on leaves of unidentified Poaceae, Castanediella senegaliae on dead pods of Senegalia ataxacantha, Cladophialophora behniae on leaves of Behnia sp., Colletotrichum cliviigenum on leaves of Clivia sp., Diatrype dalbergiae on bark of Dalbergia armata, Falcocladium heteropyxidicola on leaves of Heteropyxis canescens, Lapidomyces aloidendricola as epiphyte on brown stem of Aloidendron dichotomum, Lasionectria sansevieriae and Phaeosphaeriopsis sansevieriae on leaves of Sansevieria hyacinthoides, Lylea dalbergiae on Diatrype dalbergiae on bark of Dalbergia armata, Neochaetothyrina syzygii (incl. Neochaetothyrina gen. nov.) on leaves of Syzygium chordatum, Nothophaeomoniella ekebergiae (incl. Nothophaeomoniella gen. nov.) on leaves of Ekebergia pterophylla, Paracymostachys euphorbiae (incl. Paracymostachys gen. nov.) on leaf litter of Euphorbia ingens, Paramycosphaerella pterocarpi on leaves of Pterocarpus angolensis, Paramycosphaerella syzygii on leaf litter of Syzygium chordatum, Parateichospora phoenicicola (incl. Parateichospora gen. nov.) on leaves of Phoenix reclinata, Seiridium syzygii on twigs of Syzygium chordatum, Setophoma syzygii on leaves of Syzygium sp., Starmerella xylocopis from larval feed of an Afrotropical bee Xylocopa caffra, Teratosphaeria combreti on leaf litter of Combretum kraussii, Teratosphaericola leucadendri on leaves of Leucadendron sp., Toxicocladosporium pterocarpi on pods of Pterocarpus angolensis. Spain, Cortinarius bonachei with Quercus ilex in calcareus soils, Cortinarius brunneovolvatus under Quercus ilex subsp. ballota in calcareous soil, Extremopsis radicicola (incl. Extremopsis gen. nov.) from root-associated soil in a wet heathland, Russula quintanensis on acidic soils, Tubaria vulcanica on volcanic lapilii material, Tuber zambonelliae in calcareus soil. Sweden, Elaphomyces borealis on soil under Pinus sylvestris and Betula pubescens. Tanzania, Curvularia tanzanica on inflorescence of Cyperus aromaticus. Thailand, Simplicillium niveum on Ophiocordyceps camponoti-leonardi on underside of unidentified dicotyledonous leaf. USA, Calonectria californiensis on leaves of Umbellularia californica, Exophiala spartinae from surface sterilised roots of Spartina alterniflora, Neophaeococcomyces oklahomaensis from outside wall of alcohol distillery. Vietnam, Fistulinella aurantioflava on soil. Morphological and culture characteristics are supported by DNA barcodes.

Description: Recent studies on the fungal families Lophiostomataceae and Lophiotremataceae (Pleosporales) have provided varying phylogenetic and taxonomic results concerning constituent genera and species. By adding DNA sequences of 24 new strains of Lophiostomataceae and nine new strains of Lophiotremataceae to a sequence data matrix from international databases, we provide a new understanding of the relationships within these families. Multigene analysis of the four molecular markers ITS, LSU, TEF1-α, and RPB2 reveals that the genera within Lophiotremataceae are phylogenetically well supported. Lophiostoma myriocarpum is recognised as a species of Lophiotrema in contrast to earlier concepts. In Lophiostomataceae, we resurrect a broad generic concept of the genus Lophiostoma and reduce 14 genera to synonymy: Alpestrisphaeria, Biappendiculispora, Capulatispora, Coelodictyosporium, Guttulispora, Lophiohelichrysum, Lophiopoacea, Neopaucispora, Neotrematosphaeria, Platystomum, Pseudocapulatispora, Pseudolophiostoma, Pseudoplatystomum, and Sigarispora. Nine new species are described based on molecular data and in most cases supported by morphological characters: Antealophiotrema populicola, Atrocalyx nordicus, Lophiostoma carpini, Lophiostoma dictyosporium, Lophiostoma erumpens, Lophiostoma fusisporum, Lophiostoma jotunheimenense, Lophiostoma plantaginis, and Lophiostoma submuriforme. Lophiostoma caespitosum and Lophiotrema myriocarpum are lecto- and epitypified to stabilise their species concepts. High intraspecific variability of several morphological traits is common within Lophiostomataceae.

Description: The current list of Chinese quarantine pests includes 130 fungal species. However, recent changes in the taxonomy of fungi following the one fungus = one name initiative and the implementation of DNA phylogeny in taxonomic revisions, resulted in many changes of these species names, necessitating an update of the current list. In addition, many quarantine fungi lack modern morphological descriptions and authentic DNA sequences, posing significant challenges for the development of diagnostic protocols. The aim of the present study was to review the taxonomy and names of the 33 Chinese quarantine fungi in Dothideomycetes, and provide reliable DNA barcodes to facilitate rapid identification. Of these, 23 names were updated according to the single name nomenclature system, including one new combination, namely Cophinforma tumefaciens comb. nov. (syn. Sphaeropsis tumefaciens). On the basis of phylogenetic analyses and morphological comparisons, a new genus Xenosphaeropsis is introduced to accommodate the monotypic species Xenosphaeropsis pyriputrescens comb. nov. (syn. Sphaeropsis pyriputrescens), the causal agent of a post-harvest disease of pears. Furthermore, four lectotypes (Ascochyta petroselini, Mycosphaerella ligulicola, Physalospora laricina, Sphaeria lingam), three epitypes (Ascochyta petroselini, Phoma lycopersici, Sphaeria lingam), and two neotypes (Ascochyta pinodella, Deuterophoma tracheiphila) are designated to stabilise the use of these names. A further four reference strains are introduced for Cophinforma tumefaciens, Helminthosporium solani, Mycocentro spora acerina, and Septoria linicola. In addition, to assist future studies on these important pathogens, we sequenced and assembled whole genomes for 17 species, including Alternaria triticina, Boeremia foveata, B. lycopersici, Cladosporium cucumerinum, Didymella glomerata, Didymella pinodella, Diplodia mutila, Helminthosporium solani, Mycocentrospora acerina, Neofusicoccum laricinum, Parastagonospora pseudonodorum, Plenodomus libanotidis, Plenodomus lingam, Plenodomus tracheiphilus, Septoria petroselini, Stagonosporopsis chrysanthemi, and Xenosphaeropsis pyriputrescens.

Description: Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Argentina, Neocamarosporium halophilum in leaf spots of Atriplex undulata. Australia, Aschersonia merianiae on scale \ninsect (Coccoidea), Curvularia huamulaniae isolated from air, Hevansia mainiae on dead spider, Ophiocordyceps \npoecilometigena on Poecilometis sp. Bolivia, Lecanora menthoides on sandstone, in open semi-desert montane \nareas, Sticta monlueckiorum corticolous in a forest, Trichonectria epimegalosporae on apothecia of corticolous Megalospora sulphurata var. sulphurata, Trichonectria puncteliae on the thallus of Punctelia borreri. Brazil, Catenomargarita \npseudocercosporicola (incl. Catenomargarita gen. nov.) hyperparasitic on Pseudocercospora fijiensis on leaves of \nMusa acuminata, Tulasnella restingae on protocorms and roots of Epidendrum fulgens. Bulgaria, Anthracoidea \numbrosae on Carex spp. Croatia, Hymenoscyphus radicis from surface-sterilised, asymptomatic roots of Microthlaspi \nerraticum, Orbilia multiserpentina on wood of decorticated branches of Quercus pubescens. France, Calosporella \npunctatispora on dead corticated twigs of Acer opalus. French West Indies (Martinique), Eutypella lechatii on dead \ncorticated palm stem. Germany, Arrhenia alcalinophila on loamy soil. Iceland, Cistella blauvikensis on dead grass \n(Poaceae). India, Fulvifomes maritimus on living Peltophorum pterocarpum, Fulvifomes natarajanii on dead wood \nof Prosopis juliflora, Fulvifomes subazonatus on trunk of Azadirachta indica, Macrolepiota bharadwajii on moist \nsoil near the forest, Narcissea delicata on decaying elephant dung, Paramyrothecium indicum on living leaves of \nHibiscus hispidissimus, Trichoglossum syamviswanathii on moist soil near the base of a bamboo plantation. Iran, \nVacuiphoma astragalicola from stem canker of Astragalus sarcocolla. Malaysia, Neoeriomycopsis fissistigmae (incl. \nNeoeriomycopsidaceae fam. nov.) on leaf spots on flower Fissistigma sp. Namibia, Exophiala lichenicola lichenicolous on Acarospora cf. luederitzensis. Netherlands, Entoloma occultatum on soil, Extremus caricis on dead leaves \nof Carex sp., Inocybe pseudomytiliodora on loamy soil. Norway, Inocybe guldeniae on calcareous soil, Inocybe

Description: Species in Diaporthe have broad host ranges and cosmopolitan geographic distributions, occurring as \nendophytes, saprobes and plant pathogens. Previous studies have indicated that many Diaporthe species are associated with Citrus. To further determine the diversity of Diaporthe species associated with citrus diseases in China, \nwe conducted extensive surveys in major citrus-producing areas from 2017\xe2\x80\x932020. Diseased tissues were collected \nfrom leaves, fruits, twigs, branches and trunks showing a range of symptoms including melanose, dieback, gummosis, \nwood decay and canker. Based on phylogenetic comparisons of DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacer \nregions (ITS), calmodulin (cal), histone H3 (his3), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1) and beta-tubulin (tub2), \n393 isolates from 10 provinces were identified as belonging to 36 species of Diaporthe, including 32 known species, \nnamely D. apiculata, D. biconispora, D. biguttulata, D. caryae, D. citri, D. citriasiana, D. compacta, D. discoidispora, \nD. endophytica, D. eres, D. fusicola, D. fulvicolor, D. guangxiensis, D. hongkongensis, D. hubeiensis, D. limonicola, \nD. litchii, D. novem, D. passifloricola, D. penetriteum, D. pescicola, D. pometiae, D. sackstonii, D. sennicola, D. sojae, \nD. spinosa, D. subclavata, D. tectonae, D. tibetensis, D. unshiuensis, D. velutina and D. xishuangbanica, and four \nnew species, namely D. gammata, D. jishouensis, D. ruiliensis and D. sexualispora. Among the 32 known species, \n14 are reported for the first time on Citrus, and two are newly reported from China. Among the 36 species, D. citri \nwas the dominant species as exemplified by its high frequency of isolation and virulence. Pathogenicity tests indicated that most Diaporthe species obtained in this study were weakly aggressive or non-pathogenic to the tested \ncitrus varieties. Only D. citri produced the longest lesion lengths on citrus shoots and induced melanose on citrus \nleaves. These results further demonstrated that a rich diversity of Diaporthe species occupy Citrus, but only a few \nspecies are harmful and D. citri is the main pathogen for Citrus in China. The present study provides a basis from \nwhich targeted monitoring, prevention and control measures can be developed.

Description: Amylascus is a genus of ectomycorrhizal truffles within Pezizaceae that is known from Australia and \ncontains only two described species, A. herbertianus and A. tasmanicus. Species of Amylascus are closely related \nto truffles (Pachyphlodes, Luteoamylascus) and cup fungi (Plicariella) from the Northern Hemisphere. Here we \nreevaluate the species diversity of Amylascus and related taxa from southern South America and Australia based \non new morphological and molecular data. We identify previously undocumented diversity and morphological variability in ascospore color, ascospore ornamentation, hymenial construction, epithecium structure and the amyloid \nreaction of the ascus in Melzer\xe2\x80\x99s reagent. We redescribe two Amylascus species from Australia and describe seven \nnew Amylascus species, five from South America and two from Australia. This is the first report of Amylascus species from South America. We also describe the new South American genus Nothoamylascus as sister lineage to \nthe Pachyphlodes-Amylascus-Luteoamylascus clade (including Amylascus, Luteoamylascus, Pachyphlodes, and \nPlicariella). We obtained ITS sequences of mitotic spore mats from Nothoamylascus erubescens gen. & sp. nov. \nand four of the seven newly described Amylascus species, providing the first evidence of mitotic spore mats in \nAmylascus. Additional ITS sequences from mitotic spore mats reveal the presence of nine additional undescribed \nAmylascus and one Nothoamylascus species that do not correspond to any sampled ascomata. We also identify \nthree additional undescribed Amylascus species based on environmental sequences from the feces of two grounddwelling bird species from Chile, Scelorchilus rubecula and Pteroptochos tarnii. Our results indicate that ascomata \nfrom Amylascus and Nothoamylascus species are rarely collected, but molecular data from ectomycorrhizal roots \nand mitotic spore mats indicate that these species are probably common and widespread in southern SouthAmerica. \nFinally, we present a time-calibrated phylogeny that is consistent with a late Gondwanan distribution. The time since \nthe most recent common ancestor of: 1) the family Pezizaceae had a mean of 276 Ma (217\xe2\x80\x93337 HPD); 2) the \nAmylascus-Pachyphlodes-Nothoamylascus-Luteoamylascus clade had a mean of 79 Ma (60\xe2\x80\x93100 HPD); and 3) \nthe Amylascus-Pachyphlodes clade had a mean of 50 Ma (38\xe2\x80\x9362 HPD). The crown age of Pachyphlodes had a \nmean of 39 Ma (25\xe2\x80\x9342 HPD) and Amylascus had a mean age of 28 Ma (20\xe2\x80\x9337 HPD), falling near the EoceneOligocene boundary and the onset of the Antarctic glaciation (c. 35 Ma).

Description: Black yeasts comprise a group of Ascomycota of the order Chaetothyriales with highly variable morphology, \na great diversity of ecological niches and life cycles. Despite the ubiquity of these fungi, their diversity in freshwater \nsediments is still poorly understood. During a survey of culturable Ascomycota from river and stream sediments \nin various sampling sites in Spain, we obtained 47 isolates of black yeasts by using potato dextrose agar supplemented with cycloheximide. A preliminary morphological study and sequence analyses of the internal transcribed \nspacer region (ITS) and the large subunit (LSU) of the nuclear rDNA revealed that most of the isolates belonged \nto the family Herpotrichiellaceae. We have confidently identified 30 isolates representing the following species: \nCapronia pulcherrima, Cladophialophora emmonsii, Exophiala equina, Exophiala pisciphila, Exophiala radicis, and \nPhialophora americana. However, we encountered difficulty in assigning 17 cultures to any known species within \nChaetothyriales. Combining phenotypic and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses based on the ITS, LSU, \xce\xb2-tubulin \n(tub2) and translation elongation factor 1-\xce\xb1 (tef1-\xce\xb1) gene markers, we propose the new genus Aciculomyces in the \nHerpotrichiellaceae to accommodate the novel species Aciculomyces restrictus. Other novel species in this family \ninclude Cladophialophora denticulata, Cladophialophora heterospora, Cladophialophora irregularis, Exophiala \ncandelabrata, Exophiala dehoogii, Exophiala ramosa, Exophiala verticillata and Phialophora submersa. The new \nspecies Cyphellophora spiralis, closely related to Cyphellophora suttonii, is described, and the phylogeny of the \ngenus Anthopsis in the family Cyphellophoraceae is discussed. By utilizing these four markers, we were able to \nstrengthen the phylogenetic resolution and provide more robust taxonomic assessments within the studied group. \nOur findings indicate that freshwater sediments may serve as a reservoir for intriguing black yeasts, which warrant \nfurther investigation to address gaps in phylogenetic relationships, particularly within Herpotrichiellaceae.

Description: The class Myxomycetes consists of free-living protists characterised by their complex life cycle, which \nincludes both microscopic (amoebae, flagellates and cists) and macroscopic stages (spore-bearing fruiting bodies, \nsclerotia, and plasmodia). Within it, the order Physarales, with more than 450 recognised species, constitutes the \nlargest group. Although previous studies have shown the polyphyly of some of the traditionally accepted genera, \nits internal phylogenetic relationships have remained uncertain so far, and together with the lack of data for some \nkey species, it prevented any taxonomic and nomenclatural revisions. We have compiled a substantially expanded \ndataset in terms of both taxon sampling and molecular data, including most of the genera described to date and \nfour unlinked DNA regions, for which we provide partial sequences: nSSU, EF-1\xce\xb1, \xce\xb1-Tub, and mtSSU, analysed \nthrough maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. Our results confirm that the family Didymiaceae is paraphyletic to the rest of Physarales. Within Didymiaceae s.lat., the recent reinstatement of the genus Polyschismium for \nmost species traditionally ascribed to Lepidoderma, except for the type (Ronikier et al. 2022), is further supported \nhere, as well as the definite inclusion of the genus Mucilago in Didymium and Lepidoderma s.str. (L. tigrinum) in \nDiderma (Prikhodko et al. 2023). Additionally, the genus Diachea is redefined to include some species previously \ntreated in Physaraceae (Craterium spp. with true columella). Within the monophyletic family Physaraceae, most \ngenera are recovered as polyphyletic, suggesting that they should be no longer accepted as currently defined. \nHowever, the lack of resolution of some relationships within Physaraceae prevents us from resuscitating or creating several new genera to mitigate polyphyly. Among the well-defined groups with clear molecular signatures, we \npropose two taxonomic and nomenclatural changes at generic level: 1) a new genus, Nannengaella, is proposed \nfor a major clade containing Physarum globuliferum and other species with heavily calcified sporophores and, often, \na true calcareous columella; 2) Lignydium is resurrected for the clade containing Fuligo muscorum. Additionally, \nTrichamphora is suggested as the correct name for the clade containing Physarum pezizoideum. The taxonomy \nand nomenclature of some provisional genera, currently synonymous with Fuligo and Physarum, are disentangled, \nand we provide a comprehensive and updated nomenclatural conspectus that can be used when better resolved \nphylogenies are obtained. In total, 22 new combinations are proposed in different genera. A provisional key to the \ngenera of the order is also provided.