Kgaria is described as a new porphyrellus-like genus of Boletaceae to accommodate Tylopilus cyanogranulifer , a dark brown to dull lilac/violet, or rarely, nearly black bolete with a series of oxidation reactions progressing from blue to red then nearly black and a dark brown spore deposit. Idiosyncratic blue-green pigment encrustations (cyanogranules) and a similarly colored reaction of the hyphae located on pileus and stipe surfaces are also diagnostic. Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear large-subunit rDNA (nrLSU), translation elongation factor 1-alpha ( tef-1 ), and the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II ( rpb2 ) infer Kgaria as a unique generic lineage with two species, one of which is newly described ( K . similis ). Tylopilus olivaceoporus , originally described at the same time and as distinct from T . cyanogranulifer , appears to be conspecific with the latter. Some darkly pigmented taxa with similar oxidation reactions that were recently described from Brazil, Guyana, and China are further supported by morphology and molecular data as discrete lineages in separate genera in subfamily Boletoideae .

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Antartica, Cladosporium austrolitorale from coastal sea sand. Australia, Austroboletus yourkae on soil, Crepidotus innuopurpureus on dead wood, Curvularia stenotaphri from roots and leaves of Stenotaphrum secundatum and Thecaphora stajsicii from capsules of Oxalis radicosa. Belgium, Paraxerochrysium coryli (incl. Paraxerochrysium gen. nov.) from Corylus avellana. Brazil, Calvatia nordestina on soil, Didymella tabebuiicola from leaf spots on Tabebuia aurea, Fusarium subflagellisporum from hypertrophied floral and vegetative branches of Mangifera indica and Microdochium maculosum from living leaves of Digitaria insularis. Canada, Cuphophyllus bondii from a grassland. Croatia, Mollisia inferiseptata from a rotten Laurus nobilis trunk. Cyprus, Amanita exilis on calcareous soil. Czech Republic, Cytospora hippophaicola from wood of symptomatic Vaccinium corymbosum. Denmark, Lasiosphaeria deviata on pieces of wood and herbaceous debris. Dominican Republic, Calocybella goethei among grass on a lawn. France (Corsica), Inocybe corsica on wet ground. France (French Guiana), Trechispora patawaensis on decayed branch of unknown angiosperm tree and Trechispora subregularis on decayed log of unknown angiosperm tree. Germany, Paramicrothecium sambuci (incl. Paramicrothecium gen. nov.) on dead stems of Sambucus nigra. India, Aureobasidium microtermitis from the gut of a Microtermes sp. termite, Laccaria diospyricola on soil and Phylloporia tamilnadensis on branches of Catunaregam spinosa. Iran, Pythium serotinoosporum from soil under Prunus dulcis. Italy, Pluteus brunneovenosus on twigs of broadleaved trees on the ground. Japan, Heterophoma rehmanniae on leaves of Rehmannia glutinosa f. hueichingensis. Kazakhstan, Murispora kazachstanica from healthy roots of Triticum aestivum. Namibia, Caespitomonium euphorbiae (incl. Caespitomonium gen. nov.) from stems of an Euphorbia sp. Netherlands, Alfaria junci, Myrmecridium junci, Myrmecridium juncicola, Myrmecridium juncigenum, Ophioceras junci, Paradinemasporium junci (incl. Paradinemasporium gen. nov.), Phialoseptomonium junci, Sporidesmiella juncicola, Xenopyricularia junci and Zaanenomyces quadripartis (incl. Zaanenomyces gen. nov.), from dead culms of Juncus effusus, Cylindromonium everniae and Rhodoveronaea everniae from Evernia prunastri, Cyphellophora sambuci and Myrmecridium sambuci from Sambucus nigra, Kiflimonium junci, Sarocladium junci, Zaanenomyces moderatricis-academiae and Zaanenomyces versatilis from dead culms of Juncus inflexus, Microcera physciae from Physcia tenella, Myrmecridium dactylidis from dead culms of Dactylis glomerata, Neochalara spiraeae and Sporidesmium spiraeae from leaves of Spiraea japonica, Neofabraea salicina from Salix sp., Paradissoconium narthecii (incl. Paradissoconium gen. nov.) from dead leaves of Narthecium ossifragum, Polyscytalum vaccinii from Vaccinium myrtillus, Pseudosoloacrosporiella cryptomeriae (incl. Pseudosoloacrosporiella gen. nov.) from leaves of Cryptomeria japonica, Ramularia pararhabdospora from Plantago lanceolata, Sporidesmiella pini from needles of Pinus sylvestris and Xenoacrodontium juglandis (incl. Xenoacrodontium gen. nov. and Xenoacrodontiaceae fam. nov.) from Juglans regia. New Zealand, Cryptometrion metrosideri from twigs of Metrosideros sp., Coccomyces pycnophyllocladi from dead leaves of Phyllocladus alpinus, Hypoderma aliforme from fallen leaves Fuscopora solandri and Hypoderma subiculatum from dead leaves Phormium tenax. Norway, Neodevriesia kalakoutskii from permafrost and Variabilispora viridis from driftwood of Picea abies. Portugal, Entomortierella hereditatis from a biofilm covering a deteriorated limestone wall. Russia, Colpoma junipericola from needles of Juniperus sabina, Entoloma cinnamomeum on soil in grasslands, Entoloma verae on soil in grasslands, Hyphodermella pallidostraminea on a dry dead branch of Actinidia sp., Lepiota sayanensis on litter in a mixed forest, Papiliotrema horticola from Malus communis, Paramacroventuria ribis (incl. Paramacroventuria gen. nov.) from leaves of Ribes aureum and Paramyrothecium lathyri from leaves of Lathyrus tuberosus. South Africa, Harzia combreti from leaf litter of Combretum collinum ssp. sulvense, Penicillium xyleborini from Xyleborinus saxesenii, Phaeoisaria dalbergiae from bark of Dalbergia armata, Protocreopsis euphorbiae from leaf litter of Euphorbia ingens and Roigiella syzygii from twigs of Syzygium chordatum. Spain, Genea zamorana on sandy soil, Gymnopus nigrescens on Scleropodium touretii, Hesperomyces parexochomi on Parexochomus quadriplagiatus, Paraphoma variabilis from dung, Phaeococcomyces kinklidomatophilus from a blackened metal railing of an industrial warehouse and Tuber suaveolens in soil under Quercus faginea. Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Inocybe nivea associated with Salix polaris. Thailand, Biscogniauxia whalleyi on corticated wood. UK, Parasitella quercicola from Quercus robur. USA, Aspergillus arizonicus from indoor air in a hospital, Caeliomyces tampanus (incl. Caeliomyces gen. nov.) from office dust, Cippumomyces mortalis (incl. Cippumomyces gen. nov.) from a tombstone, Cylindrium desperesense from air in a store, Tetracoccosporium pseudoaerium from air sample in house, Toxicocladosporium glendoranum from air in a brick room, Toxicocladosporium losalamitosense from air in a classroom, Valsonectria portsmouthensis from air in men’s locker room and Varicosporellopsis americana from sludge in a water reservoir. Vietnam, Entoloma kovalenkoi on rotten wood, Fusarium chuoi inside seed of Musa itinerans, Micropsalliota albofelina on soil in tropical evergreen mixed forests and Phytophthora docyniae from soil and roots of Docynia indica. Morphological and culture characteristics are supported by DNA barcodes.

phaseolisporus (Boletaceae) from Western Australia is a Tylopilus with bean-shaped spores

Fungi are a large and hyper-diverse group with major taxa present in every ecosystem on earth. However, compared to other eukaryotic organisms, their diversity is largely understudied. Since the rise of molecular techniques, new lineages are being discovered at an increasing rate, but many are not accurately characterised. Access to comprehensive and reliable taxonomic information of organisms is fundamental for research in different disciplines exploring a variety of questions. A globally dominant ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal family in terrestrial ecosystems is the Russulaceae (Russulales, Basidiomycota) family. Amongst the mainly agaricoid Russulaceae genera, the ectomycorrhizal genus Lactifluus was historically least studied due to its largely tropical distribution in many underexplored areas and the apparent occurrence of several species complexes. Due to increased studies in the tropics, with a focus on this genus, knowledge on Lactifluus grew. We demonstrate here that Lactifluus is now one of the best-known ECM genera. This paper aims to provide a thorough overview of the current knowledge of Lactifluus, with information on diversity, distribution, ecology, phylogeny, taxonomy, morphology, and ethnomycological uses of species in this genus. This is a result of our larger study, aimed at building a comprehensive and complete dataset or taxonomic framework for Lactifluus, based on molecular, morphological, biogeographical, and taxonomical data as a tool and reference for other researchers.

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Australia , Austroboletus asper on soil, Cylindromonium alloxyli on leaves of Alloxylon pinnatum, Davidhawksworthia quintiniae on leaves of Quintinia sieberi, Exophiala prostantherae on leaves of Prostanthera sp., Lactifluus lactiglaucus on soil, Linteromyces quintiniae (incl. Linteromyces gen. nov.) on leaves of Quintinia sieberi , Lophotrichus medusoides from stem tissue of Citrus garrawayi , Mycena pulchra on soil, Neocalonectria tristaniopsidis (incl. Neocalonectria gen. nov.)and Xyladictyochaeta tristaniopsidis on leaves of Tristaniopsis collina, Parasarocladium tasmanniae on leaves of Tasmannia insipida , Phytophthora aquae-cooljarloo from pond water, Serendipita whamiae as endophyte from roots of Eriochilus cucullatus , Veloboletus limbatus (incl. Veloboletus gen. nov.)onsoil. Austria , Cortinarius glaucoelotus onsoil. Bulgaria , Suhomyces rilaensis from the gut of Bolitophagus interruptus found on a Polyporus sp. Canada , Cantharellus betularum among leaf litter of Betula , Penicillium saanichii from house dust. Chile , Circinella lampensis on soil, Exophiala embothrii from rhizosphere of Embothrium coccineum . China, Colletotrichum cycadis on leaves of Cycas revoluta . Croatia , Phialocephala melitaea on fallen branch of Pinus halepensis . Czech Republic , Geoglossum jirinae on soil, Pyrenochaetopsis rajhradensis from dead wood of Buxus sempervirens. Dominican Republic , Amanita domingensis on litter of deciduous wood, Melanoleuca dominicana on forest litter. France , Crinipellis nigrolamellata (Martinique) on leaves of Pisonia fragrans , Talaromyces pulveris from bore dust of Xestobium rufovillosum infesting floorboards. French Guiana , Hypoxylon hepaticolor on dead corticated branch. Great Britain , Inocybe ionolepis on soil. India , Cortinarius indopurpurascens among leaf litter of Quercus leucotrichophora . Iran , Pseudopyricularia javanii on infected leaves of Cyperus sp., Xenomonodictys iranica (incl. Xenomonodictys gen. nov.) on wood of Fagus orientalis . Italy , Penicillium vallebormidaense from compost. Namibia , Alternaria mirabibensis on plant litter, Curvularia moringae and Moringomyces phantasmae (incl. Moringomyces gen. nov.) on leaves and flowers of Moringa ovalifolia, Gobabebomyces vachelliae (incl. Gobabebomyces gen. nov.) on leaves of Vachellia erioloba, Preussia procaviae on dung of Procavia capensis . Pakistan , Russula shawarensis from soil on forest floor. Russia , Cyberlindnera dauci from Daucus carota . South Africa , Acremonium behniae on leaves of Behnia reticulata, Dothiora aloidendri and Hantamomyces aloidendri (incl. Hantamomyces gen. nov.) on leaves of Aloidendron dichotomum , Endoconidioma euphorbiae on leaves of Euphorbia mauritanica , Eucasphaeria proteae on leaves of Protea neriifolia , Exophiala mali from inner fruit tissue of Malus sp., Graminopassalora geissorhizae on leaves of Geissorhiza splendidissima , Neocamarosporium leipoldtiae on leaves of Leipoldtia schultzii , Neocladosporium osteospermi on leaf spots of Osteospermum moniliferum , Neometulocladosporiella seifertii on leaves of Combretum caffrum , Paramyrothecium pituitipietianum on stems of Grielum humifusum , Phytopythium paucipapillatum from roots of Vitis sp., Stemphylium carpobroti and Verrucocladosporium carpobroti on leaves of Carpobrotus quadrifolius , Suttonomyces cephalophylli on leaves of Cephalophyllum pilansii . Sweden , Coprinopsis rubra on cow dung, Elaphomyces nemoreus fromdeciduouswoodlands. Spain , Polyscytalum pini-canariensis on needles of Pinus canariensis , Pseudosubramaniomyces septatus from stream sediment, Tuber lusitanicum on soil under Quercus suber . Thailand , Tolypocladium flavonigrum on Elaphomyces sp. USA , Chaetothyrina spondiadis on fruits of Spondias mombin, Gymnascella minnisii from bat guano, Juncomyces patwiniorum on culms of Juncus effusus , Moelleriella puertoricoensis on scale insect, Neodothiora populina (incl. Neodothiora gen. nov.) on stem cankers of Populus tremuloides , Pseudogymnoascus palmeri fromcavesediment. Vietnam , Cyphellophora vietnamensis on leaf litter, Tylopilus subotsuensis on soil in montane evergreen broadleaf forest. Morphological and culture characteristics are supported by DNA barcodes.

Strobilomyces is broadly distributed geographically and serves an important ecological function. However, it has been difficult to delimit species within the genus, primarily due to developmental variations and phenotypic plasticity. To elucidate phylogenetic relationships among species within the genus and to understand its species diversity, especially in Asia, materials of the genus collected from five continents (Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North/Central America) were investigated. The phylogeny of Strobilomyces was reconstructed based on nucleotide sequences of four genes coding for: the largest and the second largest subunits of the RNA polymerase II (RPB1 and RPB2); the translation elongation factor subunit 1-α (TEF1); and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 3 (COX3). The combined results based on molecular phylogenetics, morphological characters, host tree associations, and geographical distribution patterns support a new classification consisting of two sections, sect. Strobilomyces and sect. Echinati. Using the genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition (GCPSR) approach, at least 33 phylogenetic species in Asia can be delimited, all of which are supported by morphological features, and five phylogenetic species remain to be described. The mountainous region of Southwest China is especially special, containing at least 21 species and likely represents a centre of diversification. We further compared our specimens with the type specimens of 25 species of Strobilomyces. Our comparisons suggest that, there are a total of 31 distinct species, while S. sanmingensis, S. verruculosus, S. subnigricans, and S. zangii/S. areolatus, are synonyms of S. mirandus, S. giganteus, S. alpinus and S. seminudus, respectively. Eight new species, namely, S. albidus, S. anthracinus, S. calidus, S. cingulatus, S. densisquamosus, S. douformis, S. microreticulatus and S. pinophilus, are described. A dichotomous key to the Asian Strobilomyces species is provided.

Infrageneric relations of the genetically diverse milkcap genus Lactifluus (Russulales, Basidiomycota) are poorly known. Currently used classification systems still largely reflect the traditional, mainly morphological, characters used for infrageneric delimitations of milkcaps. Increased sampling, combined with small-scale molecular studies, show that this genus is underexplored and in need of revision. For this study, we assembled an extensive dataset of the genus Lactifluus, comprising 80 % of all known species and 30 % of the type collections. To unravel the infrageneric relationships within this genus, we combined a multi-gene molecular phylogeny, based on nuclear ITS, LSU, RPB2 and RPB1, with a morphological study, focussing on five important characteristics (fruit body type, presence of a secondary velum, colour reaction of the latex/context, pileipellis type and presence of true cystidia). Lactifluus comprises four supported subgenera, each containing several supported clades. With extensive sampling, ten new clades and at least 17 new species were discovered, which highlight the high diversity in this genus. The traditional infrageneric classification is only partly maintained and nomenclatural changes are proposed. Our morphological study shows that the five featured characteristics are important at different evolutionary levels, but further characteristics need to be studied to find morphological support for each clade. This study paves the way for a more detailed investigation of biogeographical history and character evolution within Lactifluus.

Amanita conara, A. costaricensis, and A. garabitoana are proposed as new species. These taxa are added to twelve previously described species known from, or reported here for the first time from, the region of study: A. advena, A. arocheae, A. brunneolocularis, A. colombiana, A. ebumea, A. farinosa, A. flavoconia var. inquinata, A. fuligineodisca, A. muscaria subsp. flavivolvata, A. polypyramis, A. sororcula, and A. xylinivolva. Amanita flavoconia var. sinapicolor is proposed to be a taxonomic synonym of A. flavoconia var. inquinata. An unusual species of Amanita subsection Vittadiniae is given the code Amanita sp. HONI and treated only in a key to regional species of Amanita section Lepidella. A gazetteer is provided for Costa Rican sites at which Amanita species have been collected.

The restricted distributions of agarics and boletes will always be discovered based on the work of those who frequent under-collected habitats. Relictual disjunct distributions reflect original widespread occurrence of old genomes before continental breakup with little subsequent phenotypic variation. The taxonomic affinities of non-montane, lowland agarics and boletes range from restricted endemics to those with widespread pantropical occurrence. At this time, little can be said about non-Andean, montane agaric biogeography of the Neotropics; few mycologists have collected in those remote sites in the last millennium. Neotropical montane habitats dominated by oak decidedly harbour agarics and boletes with genera and species whose genealogy is derived from the North Temperate Zone. These taxa exhibit a north to south clinal distribution pattern. While generic similarity is high and species similarity is low in Neotropical montane oak forests, the expectation is that these trends will remain even as additional diversity is discovered.

Marasmius villosipes, first described from material collected under Monterey pines in Australia, represents a common collybioid agaric native to California. The species is redescribed and illustrated, and a formal transfer to Gymnopus is proposed.