The rare distinctive species Geoglossum hakelieri was discovered in Slovakia (Central Europe) for the first time, representing the only known locality outside Denmark, Norway, Russia, and Sweden. Its morphological characteristics are given, and its intraspecific variability is briefly evaluated. Particularly noteworthy is the presence of hyaline, 0–3-septate, relatively short ascospores, a feature unique within the genus Geoglossum . The weak amyloid reaction of the ascus walls in Melzer’s and Lugol’s reagents, together with the microstructure of the stipe surface, is reported for the first time for this species. Phylogenetic analyses of the nrITS1–5.8S–ITS2 and nrLSU regions unequivocally confirm the conspecificity of the Slovak and Norwegian collections. Habitat characteristics and co-occurring grassland fungi are also provided. To date, this remarkable taxon is known in Slovakia from a single locality, the Besník saddle.
The diversity of Clavariadelphus species in oak-hornbeam dominated forests of the Czech Republic was clarified using DNA sequences of the ITS region of the ribosomal RNA gene. We report four species from the habitat: C. flavoimmaturus , C. griseoclavus , C. pistillaris , and C. xanthocephalus . A generally poor match between identification based on morphological characters and ITS sequences was observed, which questions the validity of morphological characters used in identification keys. Clavariadelphus griseoclavus is newly reported in Europe and its possible conspecifity with the older species C. helveticus is discussed. The recently described East Asian species C. khinganensis is likely to be conspecific with C. xanthocephalus .
Although transfers and invasions of alien fungi and oomycetes to new environments have ecological and economic impacts comparable to those of plants and animals, their importance has so far been underestimated. Here, we compile accessible records of alien species from these two groups. Extensive research of data across literature, on-line databases, herbaria, and institutional and personal collections has resulted in the first list of alien and cryptogenic fungi and oomycetes for the present-day area of the Czech Republic. A total number of 352 alien taxa recorded in the period 1813–2022 includes 38 archaeomycetes (i.e. species introduced into Europe before 1492), 310 neomycetes, and 4 unranked species. The highest proportion of alien fungi and oomycetes originated from North America, Europe, and temperate Asia. From the taxonomic point of view, ascomycetes represent the highest proportion of alien species, while at the class level, Peronosporomycetes , Dothideomycetes , Leotiomycetes , Pucciniomycetes , Sordariomycetes , and Agaricomycetes are the most frequent. Plant parasites prevail, whereas saprotrophic fungi are less numerous and other ecological groups are rare: six mycorrhizal fungi and two wild animal parasite species have been recorded in the Czech Republic. An assessment of potential risk indicated that numerous species impact (in order of frequency) horticulture, agriculture, and forestry. We identified 56 casually introduced species, 156 naturalised taxa, and 72 invasive species. Significant ecosystem damage may be expected for 36 introduced species, six of which can be classified as transformers. Five species were classified as eradicated. The terminology used in invasive plant and animal biology was adopted, with minor modifications to reflect the specificity of fungi and oomycetes. Natural and geopolitical conditions are discussed and taken into account in the proposed general scheme of invasions of fungi and oomycetes representing an integral part of neobiota and sharing invasion principles and rules with alien macroorganisms.
The article presents the first record of the very rare corticioid species Scytinostromella humifaciens in the Czech Republic. Macro- and microscopic characters of the species are described and supplemented with photographs of basidiomata and habitat, line drawings and a microphotograph of microscopic characters as well as a discussion on its ecology and distribution.
