Articles by Taxonomic Group

Twenty species of ascomycetous and anamorphic fungi from twenty genera are reported for the first time from Mt. Strandzha in Bulgaria.

Thirty eight species from eighteen genera of ascomycetous and anamorphic fungi are reported for the first time from Mt. Strandzha in Turkey.

Curvularia lunata on Grewia optiva is recorded from India. Occurrence of Xylaria longipes is reported from Bulgaria.

A new species, Massariosphaeria websteri, on submerged decaying culms of a grass (possibly Phragmites karka) in freshwater in Pakistan is described, illustrated and compared with closely related taxa in the genus Massariosphaeria. It is characterized by immersed, scattered, subglobose to conical, ostiolate ascomata each with a papillate beak; 20–32 µm thick, 5–7 layers, polygonal to rectangular peridial cells; branched and anastomosed pseudoparaphyses; relatively large (170–245 × 26.5–35 µm), fissitunicate, cylindrical asci; and ascospores large-sized (av. 52.2 × 13.5 µm), narrowly fusiform to clavate, (7–) 8–11-septate, surrounded by a gelatinous sheath. Additionally, six other members of the Pleosporales, Massariosphaeria typhicola, Lophiostoma caulium, Lophiostoma compressum, Lophiostoma quadrinucleatum, Nodulosphaeria aquilana,  and Trichometasphaeria culmifida are reported.

Two different coelomycetous fungi were screened for the production of taxol, an anticancer drug. Taxol production was confirmed by following methods Ultra Violet (UV) spectroscopic analysis, Infra Red analysis (IR), High performance liquid chromatography analysis (HPLC) and Liquid chromatography mass spectrum (LC-MASS), and the taxol compared with authentic taxol. The fungal taxol was identical to authentic taxol. The taxol produced by the above fungi were tested against cancer A549 cell line.

After a short review of the genus Boerlagiomyces, a short description of B. websteri is given and illustrated from material found in Hungary on old cherry stones.