Articles by Taxonomic Group

Two smut fungi, Bauerago vuyckii on Luzula alpina and Moreaua kochiana on Schoenus nigricans and Schoenus ×scheuchzeri, are reported for the first time from Austria. Luzula alpina is a new host association for Bauerago vuyckii. Descriptions and illustrations are provided for these taxa.

Anthracoidea melanostachyae, previously known from Iran and Tajikistan on Carex melanostachya, is reported from Armenia and Azerbaijan on the same host plant, and from a new Tajik locality, on a new host plant, C. songorica.

Leucocintractia scleriae is reported for the first time from Japan.

Sporisorium nyassae is reported for the first time from Togo and Benin. Hyparrhenia nyassae and H. diplandra var. mutica are recorded as new host plants of Sporisorium nyassae. Based on the current revision, Sporisorium barcinonense is removed from the list of smut fungi in Togo. Cintractia limitata is reported for the first time from Benin. All species of smut fungi known from Togo and Benin and their host plants are listed.

This study endeavors to clarify the taxonomy of Anthracoidea species occurring in East Asia. Being a cosmopolitan genus, more widely distributed in temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, Anthracoidea is insufficiently studied in East Asia, particularly in Japan and Korea. A comprehensive account of the species composition and distribution of the Anthracoidea species in Japan is presented herein. Further, information about the Anthracoidea species in the Kuriles, Sakhalin, and Korean Peninsula is also provided. Three new smut fungi are described and illustrated as follows: Anthracoidea caricis-grallatoriae on Carex grallatoria from Japan, Anthracoidea lanceolatae on Carex lanceolata from South Korea, and Anthracoidea pseudomichelii on Carex michelii from Central Europe. For Cintractia japonica on ‘Carex capillacea’, a new combination, Anthracoidea japonica, is proposed. Anthracoidea grallatoriae Vánky is a superfluous name and a synonym of A. japonica. The existence of the type specimen of Cintractia subglobosa S. Ito makes the lectotypification of C. subglobosa redundant. Similarly, a lectotype of Cintractia variabilis S. Ito is also made redundant. Based on a comparative morphological investigation, 20 Anthracoidea species were established in Japan, all of them on host plants of Carex. In addition to Anthracoidea caricis-grallatoriae, six other species, A. capillaris, A. humilis, A. irregularis, A. karii, A. michelii, and A. sempervirentis, are reported for the first time from Japan. Eight plant species are reported as new hosts of Anthracoidea species in Japan: Carex gmelinii with Anthracoidea buxbaumii; Carex foliosissima, C. mitrata, C. morrowii, C. nervata, and C. subebracteata with Anthracoidea caryophylleae; Carex fernaldiana and C. tenuinervis with Anthracoidea microsora. Ten fungus-host combinations, Anthracoidea capillaris on Carex tenuiformis, A. caryophylleae on Carex leucochlora, A. caryophylleae on Carex mitrata, A. caryophylleae on Carex foliosissima, A. caryophylleae on Carex morrowii, A. humilis on Carex lanceolata, A. karii on Carex omiana var. monticola, A. microsora on Carex fernaldiana, A. microsora on Carex tenuinervis, and A. sempervirentis on Carex makinoensis, are new for science. Additional distribution records are given for some Anthracoidea species hitherto known from Japan. The genus Anthracoidea is recorded for the first time from the Korean Peninsula, with three species from South Korea: A. caryophylleae on Carex leucochlora, A. lanceolatae on Carex lanceolata, and A. siderostictae on Carex siderosticta. Two species, Anthracoidea caryophylleae and A. variabilis, are reported for the first time from the Kuriles. Anthracoidea variabilis is a new species for Russia. Three species, Anthracoidea globularis, A. heterospora, and A. paniceae, are reported for the first time from Sakhalin. The study further found that four fungus-host combinations had been wrongly recorded in the literature, specifically, Carex cespitosa is not a host of Anthracoidea variabilis; Carex foliosissima and C. conica are not hosts of Anthracoidea microsora; and Carex tarumensis is not a host of Anthracoidea buxbaumii.

Anthracoidea melanostachyae on Carex melanostachya from Iran is described and illustrated.

Seven new species, Anthracoidea breweri on Carex breweri and C. subnigricans from USA, Anthracoidea griseae on Carex grisea from USA, Farysia echinulata on Carex fischeri from Kenya, Tilletia avenastri on Avenastrum turgidulum from Lesotho, Urocystis anemonae-narcissiflorae on Anemone narcissiflora from Canada, Ustanciosporium venezuelanum on Rhynchospora sp. from Venezuela, and Ustilago buchloëformis on Bouteloua repens from Mexico are described and illustrated.

Two new species of Moreaua are described from endemic species of Cyperaceae (sedges) in Western Australia. Moreaua actinoschoeni occurs on Actinoschoenus sp. in the far north, and M. chrysitricis occurs on Chrysitrix distigmatosa in the mid west. These are the first smut fungi to be found on these two genera of sedges. Moreaua chrysitricis is the third smut fungus to have been found on a sedge in the subfamily Mapanioideae.

Anthracoidea eburneae on Carex eburnea from Canada is described and illustrated.

The smut fungi of Rhynchospora are revised. Twenty-eight species in seven genera are recognised and presented. Keys to the genera and species are given.

After a short revision of the genus Anthracoidea, two new species, A. multicaulis on C. geyeri and C. multicaulis, and A. praegracilis on C. praegracilis are described and illustrated.

Conservation of fungal diversity needs to be integrated. Smut fungi are potentially a key group for illustrating the problems encountered when estimating the conservation status of microscopic fungi. Various difficulties in assessing the status of smut fungi are described. Examples are provided of threatened species of smut fungi, evaluated with IUCN criteria.

In addition to the 46 known smut fungi of Bolivia, a further 16 species are reported as new to Bolivia, three of which are new to science, viz. Moreaua scirpi, Sporisorium christineae and Tilletia spinulosa. New host plants are given for four smut fungi.

Identification keys to smut fungi (Ustilaginomycotina p.p. and Microbotryales) of 14 selected host plant families and 51 keys to 92 selected host plant genera are presented to facilitate world-wide identification of these plant parasitic microfungi.

Several species of smut fungi not previously recorded in Thailand were collected in December 2007. Amongst these were two new species, Sporisorium likhitekarajae on Ischaemum sp. and Tilletia isachneicola on Isachne globosa, which are described and compared with related species.

After a short revision of the genus Stegocintractia, a new species, S. capitata on Juncus capitatus is described and illustrated. A key to the six known species of Stegocintractia is presented.

The first Farysia which is not on a Carex, F. unciniae is described on Uncinia multifaria from Chile.

Based on molecular sequence data and morphological characters of the sori a new genus, Pilocintractia, is described for Cintractia fimbristylidicola. The importance of sterile fungal filaments between mature spores for the classification of smut fungi is discussed. Presence of gelatinised fungal filaments between spores is a useful tool for separating Pilocintractia from other genera of the Cintractia sensu lato group.